American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609
United States
This program will focus on the fascinating histories of three objects from within the American Antiquarian Society’s Digital Collections: a photograph of Crow Chief Plenty Coups, which was taken and used for promotional purposes for his autobiography, a family portrait of Booker T. Washington that served as the frontispiece for his first memoir, and an engraving of Kamehameha I, done by the Hawaiian artist, Kepohoni, after an original portrait done by the Russian artist, Louis Choris, as well as an oil copy by an anonymous Chinese artist. We will not only trace the stories of these indelible Americans, but also the histories of how these images came to be and the purposes that they served. Focus will be given to how instructors and educators can use these images and their contexts in classrooms, as well as options for how AI can be integrated into assignments for enhanced learning opportunities for students.
Professor Olivia Chiang has taught art history at Connecticut State Community College Manchester (formerly Manchester Community College) since 2011. Her teaching and research focus on expanding the range and diversity of histories told and taught beyond the traditional canon. She holds a MA in the History of Art from Yale University and a BA in History and Art History from Tufts University. She was previously awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for her digital anthology and collaboration with Smarthistory, "Not your grandfather's art history."