On Wednesday, October 17, 2018, the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art announced that Michaela Rife (BA 2010, MA 2011, 2014) was awarded its 2018 Graduate Research Essay Prize.
The Archives of American Art Graduate Research Essay Prize recognizes emerging scholars who advance the understanding of American art history through the innovative use of primary sources at the Archives of American Art. Michaela’s winning essay probes the Archives’ Alexandre Hogue Papers and environmental histories of oil to explore the artist’s understanding of the oil industry’s place in his local Texas landscape, a discussion that opens onto larger questions concerning the role of art in promoting and naturalizing resource extraction.
Please join us in congratulating Michaela on receiving this prestigious award!