Madalyn K. Shaw

PhD Student (she/her)
madalyn.shaw@mail.utoronto.ca

Campus

  • Downtown Toronto (St. George)

Fields of Study

  • Caribbean
  • Latin American
  • Modern/Contemporary
  • North American
  • Photography

Areas of Interest

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

Working Dissertation

Supervisors

Louis Kaplan

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

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–

Cohort

  • 2024-2025