Art history papers win museum contest
Jillian Melchior
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Arts
Two Hillsdale college students won awards at the first annual Edith Hamilton Prize in the Art History Writing and Criticism Competition.
Mary Claire Andwood, a junior, won first place for a paper she wrote about the photographs of carnage taken during the Civil War by Matthew Brady.
She explained the significance of the paper during a sculpture class. Hands dirty from spending the afternoon working, she said she was excited to win first place in the new contest with a topic that intrigued her.
"I wanted to look at publishing the photos of the battle dead, and what impact it had at the time," she said. "When people saw the carnage and the dead bodies, they realized what modern war meant."
She had written the paper for a class taught by Brad Birzer, associate professor of history, then trimmed it down for the competition.
According to a news release sent by Barbara Bushey, associate professor of art, the judges said they found Andwood's paper well-conceived and well-organized.
"This paper excellently makes its case and is quite compelling in the process," they said.
Andwood will receive the first-place prize of $200.
Senior Mary Dell won an honorable mention for a paper adapted from her thesis about Louis Comfort Tiffany (of the Tiffany stained glass and jewelry company) and Manifest Destiny.
She, too, was in the sculpture class, working on a bust as she spoke.
"I really love American art," Dell said. "I was really interested in exploring what makes American art American."
Andwood said the prize will help her in the future.
"I think it'll be a really good boost for my resume," she said.
The contest only accepted papers about American art after 1850. To pass the first round of jurying, Andwood and Dell had to submit an abstract of their papers. The judges then considered the full-length versions of their papers.
The contest was named after a Fort Wayne, Ind., writer, Edith Hamilton, whose family helped found the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
Mary Claire Andwood, a junior, won first place for a paper she wrote about the photographs of carnage taken during the Civil War by Matthew Brady.
She explained the significance of the paper during a sculpture class. Hands dirty from spending the afternoon working, she said she was excited to win first place in the new contest with a topic that intrigued her.
"I wanted to look at publishing the photos of the battle dead, and what impact it had at the time," she said. "When people saw the carnage and the dead bodies, they realized what modern war meant."
She had written the paper for a class taught by Brad Birzer, associate professor of history, then trimmed it down for the competition.
According to a news release sent by Barbara Bushey, associate professor of art, the judges said they found Andwood's paper well-conceived and well-organized.
"This paper excellently makes its case and is quite compelling in the process," they said.
Andwood will receive the first-place prize of $200.
Senior Mary Dell won an honorable mention for a paper adapted from her thesis about Louis Comfort Tiffany (of the Tiffany stained glass and jewelry company) and Manifest Destiny.
She, too, was in the sculpture class, working on a bust as she spoke.
"I really love American art," Dell said. "I was really interested in exploring what makes American art American."
Andwood said the prize will help her in the future.
"I think it'll be a really good boost for my resume," she said.
The contest only accepted papers about American art after 1850. To pass the first round of jurying, Andwood and Dell had to submit an abstract of their papers. The judges then considered the full-length versions of their papers.
The contest was named after a Fort Wayne, Ind., writer, Edith Hamilton, whose family helped found the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
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