2025-2026 Tucker Boatwright Festival of Literature & the Arts

Reconstruction

Hosted by the Department of Art & Art History in partnership with The Harnett Museum.

The 2025–2026 Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature & the Arts dissects and expands the idea of Reconstruction to highlight the complex relationship to ongoing cultural movements and revolutions that we study, experience, and manifest through the visual arts. Reconstruction considers the many social, environmental, and political crises that we are experiencing today and encourages us to look back at the histories that frame the urgent questions of our present for answers regarding our future.

The Department of Art & Art History, in partnership with The Harnett Museum, has invited two world-renowned artists to campus, Cauleen Smith and Abigail DeVille, to interpret this theme through two new immersive installations that engage with local histories to create a space for community dialogue.

Art History

The art history program at the University of Richmond offers students the chance to explore the historical, social, and philosophical contexts of art, with courses covering both Western and non-Western traditions, as well as museum studies. Students are encouraged to study abroad, gaining firsthand experience with the cultures behind the art they study, while also developing a broader understanding of how different societies value art. A distinctive feature of the program is the opportunity to work on University Museums-sponsored exhibitions and complete a year-long senior thesis, culminating in a public presentation at the annual A&S Student Symposium.

Graduates of the program have gone on to diverse careers, from academia and museum work to positions in non-profit art organizations, auction houses, and galleries. Some have used their cross-cultural skills in roles with organizations like the Peace Corps, while others have pursued advanced degrees in fields such as international relations or law, demonstrating the versatility of the critical thinking skills gained through the study of art history.

Equipment, Resources & Studio Spaces

Renovated and expanded in 2018 and 2019, the Department of Art & Art History has one of the best-equipped spaces in the country for a University and program of its size. The area spaces for drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, film, sound, video, and animation are state of the art, as is the new art history seminar room and auditorium. Combined with the facilities of the University Museums, the department provides a fantastic environment for education in the visual arts. 

The Visual Resource Center offers guidance on image searching, copyright, and usage, alongside access to global image collections, art-related news, reference books, and a DVD collection. Students also have access to ARTstor, a vast image database with over a million images, including 15,000 locally digitized collections, accessible both on and off-campus for study and presentations.