Madalyn K. Shaw

Madalyn K. Shaw

First Name: 
Madalyn K.
Last Name: 
Shaw
Title: 
PhD Student (she/her)
Biography : 

My research focuses on mid-twentieth century/postwar visual occulture. I explore the dialectics of science, skepticism, fiction, religion/spirituality, and belief that underscore popular and institutional negotiations of modern occultism. My dissertation will build upon my undergraduate thesis on UFO photography, “Space Age Spectres: Exploring UFO and Space Exploration Photography in Mid-Twentieth Century American Astroculture,” through an examination of UFO photographic discourse.

Honours, Awards and Grants

  • 2024 Doctoral Recruitment Award, University of Toronto
  • 2024 W. Bernard Herman Scholarship in Art, University of Toronto
  • 2024 Recognition of Excellence Award for Indigenous and Black Students, University of Toronto
  • 2023 Graduate Studies First Year Award, OCAD University
  • 2022-2024 President’s Scholarship, OCAD University

Professional Affiliations

  • Universities Art Association of Canada
Education: 
MA, OCAD University
BA, Georgetown University

People Type:

Research Area:

Areas of Interest: 
  • 20th century art and occultism
  • Art of the Americas
  • Occult photography

Program:

Cohort:

Dissertation Supervisors: 
Louis Kaplan
Presentations: 
“Reading the Counterculture in 'The Magician:' Frankie Albano’s Tarot Redesign,” The 60s Revisited, Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC-AAUC), York University, October 18, 2025.
“Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Diaspora: Multiplying Time, Memory, and History,” Graduate Studies Colloquia, OCAD University, October 5, 2023.
Administrative Service: 
Works in Progress Rep, Graduate Union of Students of Art (GUStA), 2024–

Campus: