New Pittsburgh Constellations Consortium Shines Light on History of Art and Architecture
Plate VII, Figure 1, “Anatomie”: A woody skeleton of sorts stands in the middle of a yellowed page; he is composed of branches and twigs, offshoots and tendrils and leaves. Even the casual observer can clearly see the bushy hair, the elongated head—with curved twigs for a nose—the arms, all five fingers clearly delineated, the sharp branch points suggesting ribs, and the long branches for legs.
Originally published in the Encyclopédie, ou, Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers in 1751, “Anatomie’s” whimsical portrayal of man was part of the Fall 2014 “Configuring Disciplines” show at Pitt’s University Art Gallery. The show addressed the theme of visual knowledge and explored how art works, maps, photos, botanical illustrations, diagrams, and more work to shape our notions of disciplinary knowledge in a variety of fields. Eight regional museums and archives contributed works to the exhibition, including Carnegie Mellon University’s Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, which lent “Anatomie.”
The show exemplified the “Constellations” approach of the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Starting in the 2011-12 school year, the department adopted Constellations, grouping faculty under six areas—Visual Knowledge, Agency, Identity, Environment, Mobility/Exchange, and Contemporaneity.
"We made this switch to enable a more dynamic relationship between the various subfields represented in our department,” department chair Professor Barbara McCloskey explains. “It’s an innovative approach that foregrounds the concepts and themes that span our areas of expertise and allows us to take these themes beyond the classroom and into the broader community
Drawing upon this commitment to taking the Constellations concept into the community, the department applied for and received a $1 million grant in April 2015 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant formed the Pittsburgh Constellations Consortium—a group of regional partners who are collaborating with the Department of History of Art and Architecture to create a mutually beneficial set of college courses, internships, workshops, digital humanities projects, exhibitions, and other exchanges.
To date, the list of partners includes the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Heinz History Center, The Frick Art and Historical Center, Rivers of Steel, and the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University.
Growing out of the success of the Constellations approach and joint efforts such as the “Configuring Disciplines” exhibition, the grant is “a dream come true,” says McCloskey. She explains that the grant has enabled two key new hires for the department, a lecturer in curatorial studies (a joint appointment between the department and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh) and an academic curator for the department.
Pitt will begin a search for the academic curator in the spring, but the lecturer in curatorial studies has already begun work. Erin Peters, an Egyptologist with extensive museum experience, is splitting her time between teaching courses in Pitt’s Museum Studies Program and curating at the Carnegie Museum, where she will work on developing exhibits and programming that cross over and connect the various institutions within the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh system.
“This grant is transformational, creating exciting new opportunities for faculty, students, and members of the community,” says Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia Beeson. “The Constellations Consortium gives every indication of becoming a national and international model for art historical research, teaching, and outreach.”
McCloskey agrees: “Pittsburgh’s cultural resources are wide and deep, and the learning opportunities for our students are limitless. We look forward to working with our cultural neighbors as we pool our resources to put Pittsburgh on the map as a major center for innovative art historical research and exhibition.”