In conjunction with the special exhibition Lasting Impressions: People, Power, Piety the 2022 Dumbarton Oaks Museum Graduate Study Day will consider the relationship between seals and other forms of religious and secular art in Byzantium. This workshop, led by Dumbarton Oaks curators Jonathan Shea and Elizabeth Dospel Williams and John Cotsonis, (His Grace Joachim Bishop of Amissos), Director of the Archbishop Iakovos Library, Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, will explore the use of images in a variety of media to express piety, identity, group belonging, and social status.
In the morning students will visit and discuss the exhibition in the galleries. We will address curatorial selection, historiographic topics, function, and consider the relationships of seals to other media in the Dumbarton Oaks collection. After lunch, participants will spend the afternoon studying works from the Byzantine and seals collections in storage.
Funding
Dumbarton Oaks has partnered with Travel Collaborative and will be working with them to arrange economy travel for successful applicants. Travel not booked through Travel Collaborative will not be paid for by Dumbarton Oaks. Dumbarton Oaks will provide accommodation on the nights of 22–23 September, and Friday lunch.
COVID Policies
With regards to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, our policies and plans will accord with Harvard and local public health guidelines. All attendees will be required to adhere to our COVID-19 safety measures for the duration of their residence at Dumbarton Oaks, including requirements for showing proof or exemption of vaccines, social distancing and indoor mask wearing. If Dumbarton Oaks resumes modified operations for any reason related to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, including national, state, or local health advisories and restrictions, Dumbarton Oaks may modify the program (e.g. move to a virtual platform).
Applications
We encourage applicants from graduate programs in art history, archaeology, history, classics, religious studies, and other fields who might benefit from close engagement with our collections and from training in material culture approaches. To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter with a brief summary of the candidate’s research interests, plans for future research, and an explanation of why attendance is important to the candidate’s intellectual and professional development. All materials should be submitted to museum@doaks.org. Applications are due 7 August, 2022.
