Ask an Art Historian

Art History Lunch Series

Sean Nesselrode Moncada '09 Ask an Art Historian lecturer

Sean Nesselrode Moncada '09 will join us on campus on Weds, February 4 for an “Ask an Art Historian” session.

This academic year, the Art History program welcomes art historians-in-action to campus for the lunchtime series “Ask an Art Historian.” Come to hear from people who have followed different--and sometimes surprising--paths in the field of art history.
 
Brown bag lunch. Snacks provided.  All welcome. The talks are open to the campus community.

Spring 2026 schedule 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026
12-1PM
Beardsley 305
sean Nesselrode Moncada '09, Associate professor of therory and history of Art and Design, Rhode Island School of Design

Sean is Associate Professor of Theory and History of Art and Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he teaches classes on modern and contemporary Latin American and Latinx art, architecture, and visual culture. He is the author of *Refined Material: Petroculture and Modernity, (University of California Press, 2023),* which examines the material, spatial and theoretical development of Venezuelan modernisms through the lens of petroleum extraction and refinement.

Fall 2025 schedule 

Wednesday, September 24, 2025
12p-1pm
Beardsley 318
Joyce Chung, Curator, Asian Arts Initiative

Joyce Chung is the Curator at Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia, where she leads the organization’s exhibition and performance programming. Her interdisciplinary curatorial practice explores identity, memory, and marginalization, with a focus on how power structures and capitalism shape lived experience.

Thursday, November 6, 2025
12pm-1PM
Beardsley 305
Benjamin Schmidt, Professor of History, University of Washington

Benjamin Schmidt is a Professor of History at the University of Washington in Seattle. His work sits at the disciplinary crossroads of cultural history, visual and material studies, and the history of science. 

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
12p-1pm
Beardsley 318
Michelle Crouch '07, Associate Director, Proposal Development

Michelle Crouch '07 is the Associate Director of Proposal Development at Swarthmore, where she works with faculty in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to secure research funding. Outside of work, she is a writer, parent, fiber arts enthusiast, and proud Philadelphian. At Swarthmore, Michelle majored in Art History and minored in English Literature; she holds an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington. 
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE 11/12 TALK VIA THIS LINK.