PSU professor receives art history grant

PLYMOUTH — Focusing on Plymouth State University’s goal to collaborate across disciplines to provide students with a well-rounded education, Sarah Parrish, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history, applied for and received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her efforts to reshape PSU’s art history program. The Humanities Connections Planning Grant will allow Parrish to work with faculty across disciplines including business and environmental science to design art history courses around themes, instead of geographic region or historical periods.

“Sarah’s work will bring together students with a variety of experiences and backgrounds and will enrich their educational experiences through exposure to art,” said Donald L. Birx, Ph.D., president, PSU. “This approach will help students understand the visual images and connections to multiple viewpoints they see every day."

“Some students may not grasp how traditional art history classes connect to their lives, which inspired me to make these classes more relevant for all students,” said Parrish. “The thematic courses will help students learn to understand the visual world, allowing them to bring those critical thinking skills and new perspectives to their own disciplines and careers."

This summer, Parrish will collaborate with other faculty to develop three thematic courses. The first course, “Art, Money and Power,” will be offered in spring 2021, and will focus on the business of art through the ages. Parrish will partner with Ron Porter, MBA, teaching faculty in the business administration program, to design and then teach the class. During the semester, Parrish and Porter will help each other develop expertise on their respective subjects. Parrish will teach future “Art, Money and Power” courses alone.

Parrish hopes to secure implementation funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2021 to help PSU move forward with teaching all three new classes. Parrish plans for these additional classes to be offered to students beginning in fall 2021.

For more information, visit plymouth.edu.