Through the creation and interpretation of visual media, the Art, Art History, and Film Department prepares students to engage critically with our image-saturated world. We emphasize individual mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and hands-on learning in varied environments, from studios to museums. Graduates apply their skills of observation, creativity, and intercultural understanding to professions in the arts and beyond, from architecture, museums, and filmmaking to law and medicine.

Our Programs

Art History

Art history encompasses the study of images, objects, and built spaces from a broad range of historical periods and geographical regions, providing a doorway into the many rich and diverse cultures throughout the world.

Film Studies

The Film Studies program has arisen out of a need and desire to assist students in developing critical and technical skills in the area of film. Video, photography, and television also play a supportive role in the development of these skills.

Studio Art

In our increasingly image-laden society, visual intelligence is a paramount skill. The Studio Art program provides students with opportunities for creative exploration in painting, drawing, photography, video, ceramics, and digital media.


Alumni Voices

Meet some of our recent graduates and learn about how majoring in art history, film studies, or studio art enhanced their undergraduate experiences and influenced their career paths.

Photo of Elisabeth Lobkowicz Elisabeth Lobkowicz Elisabeth A. Lobkowicz

Elisabeth Lobkowicz

Class of 2010

Photo of Elisabeth Lobkowicz

The Art History Faculty was incredibly supportive to me while at BC, and this support continued long after graduating and into my professional career.

Hometown: Natick, Mass.

Current occupation: Specialist in the Old Master Paintings Department at Sotheby's Auction House

Favorite BC professor or class? Northern Renaissance Art with Professor Kenneth Craig. He was the first to introduce me to a genre of art that is now my professional specialty. He will always have a special place in my heart.

Why did you choose BC's Art, Art History and Film program? After completing requirements for an Economics Degree, I found that Art History was a true passion of mine. The combination of the two degrees provided a wonderful academic balance and provided a strong foundation for a career in the Auction Industry.

Photo of Nicole Maloof Nicole Maloof Nicole Maloof

Nicole Maloof

Class of 2019

Photo of Nicole Maloof

I chose BC's Art program due to its intimate nature and fantastic faculty. Because it is a small program, I was able to get one-on-one attention from contemporary artists living and working in Boston.

Hometown: East Greenwich, R.I.

Current occupation: I work at an art gallery in downtown, Washington, DC, called HEMPHILL Artworks.

Favorite BC class or professor? My favorite class is a tie between our Senior Year Thesis with Sheila Gallagher and a Ceramics Independent Study I completed with Mark Cooper. In both instances I was able to fully explore who I wanted to be and what I wanted to make as an artist. 

What experiences related to your major did you pursue as an undergraduate? As a sophomore, I studied abroad during the summer in Rome, Italy. Here, I took a Renaissance and Baroque Art History course. We visited churches and museums in the city each day and saw incredible work. This was essential in developing my knowledge of art history so that I could contextualize my own contemporary art practice. It was also a fantastic way to study abroad without taking an entire semester away from campus.

Photo of Angelos Bougas Angelos Bougas Angelos Bougas

Angelos Bougas

Class of 2021

Photo of Angelos Bougas

What I enjoyed most about BC's Art, Art History, and Film program was the exceptional faculty, particularly the mentorship from Professor John Michalczyk, the head of the film department. His guidance went beyond academic instruction; it was a form of mentorship that made Boston feel like a second home, especially when my family was far away in Greece. 

Hometown: Athens, Greece

Current occupation: Co-founder, Ocley Group, real estate firm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Favorite course at BC? My favorite course at Boston College was 'Propaganda Film' taught by Professor John Michalczyk. This class was not only incredibly engaging but also deeply insightful in understanding the intersection of film, history, and sociopolitical narratives. We explored iconic films and unraveled their underlying messages. 

What experiences related to your major did you pursue as an undergraduate? As an undergraduate student at Boston College, I was granted the unique opportunity to travel to countries such as Lithuania, Poland, France, Germany, and Greece for documentary productions, thanks to scholarships like the LaMattina and Salamanowitz. These documentary productions were not just academic exercises; they were profound learning experiences that shaped my understanding of global issues and my approach to tackling real-world problems

Photo of Annie Maloney Annie Maloney Annie Maloney

Annie Maloney

Class of 2014

Photo of Annie Maloney

I felt so supported by the faculty of the Art History department throughout my time at BC. Now that I am working as a professor, I really appreciate how much time each of my professors spent with me in office hours to make sure I thrived in the department.

Hometown: Spokane, Wash.

Current occupation: Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History, Oberlin College

Favorite class or professor? My favorite class was "Loot!" taught by Stephanie Leone and Nancy Netzer in 2013. Being able to research objects in the McMullen Museum collection and envision how they would be displayed in the new museum space was a such a formative experience for me.

What experiences related to your major did you pursue as an undergraduate? While I was an undergraduate, I worked as a Student Ambassador at the MFA Boston, served as an summer exhibition intern for the "Courbet: Mapping Realism" Exhibition, and received an Advanced Study Grant to travel to Rome to research frescoes in the Church of the Gesù for my senior seminar paper. These experiences made me realize that I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in Art History.

Photo of Emily Neumeier Emily Neumeier Emily Neumeier

Emily Neumeier

Class of 2008

Photo of Emily Neumeier

As an undergraduate student, I was able to study abroad in Egypt at the American University in Cairo, worked at the McMullen Museum, spent one summer interning at the British Museum, and wrote a senior thesis that culminated in curating an exhibition on Islamic calligraphy at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All of these experiences provided invaluable opportunities to develop a wide range of practical skills, from language acquisition to conducting fieldwork, which have served me in good stead after graduation.

Hometown: Tampa, Fla.

Current occupation: Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, Department of Art History, Temple University 

Favorite BC class or professor? Working with Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom introduced me to the field of Islamic art and set me on a path to pursue graduate studies in art history and find a career in teaching. One of my favorite courses was "Houses of the Rich and Famous" co-taught by Stephanie Leone and Jonathan Bloom.

 

Why did you choose BC's Art, Art History and Film program? BC provided an environment to study Art History in dialogue with other disciplines like History, Classics, and Islamic Studies. Not to mention all of the opportunities for hands-on experience on campus at the McMullen Museum as well as in the wider Boston area!


Department News

News

Debra Weisberg Embrangledscape

Embrangledscape

Embrangledscape at Williams Center Gallery at Lafayette College, in Easton,PA showcases the work of installation artist Debra Weisberg. The exhibition features densely collage works on paper along with two site specific installations, one in the performance lobby providing a portal ionto which Brazilian born choreographer Paula Gil Higa's dance video is projected. January 30- March 14, 2025

Stephanie Stigliano's Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Stephanie Stigliano's Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St.South Yarmouth, MA. Artist books by Stigliano included in this national juried exhibit. February 3–March 1, 2025; Friday, February 7th reception 5-7pm

https://www.cultural-center.org/dontjudgeabookbyitscover

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February Artist: Stephanie Stigliano, books and prints, Malden Public Library

February Artist: Stephanie Stigliano, books and prints, Malden Public Library

February Artist: Stephanie Stigliano, books and prints, Malden Public Library36 Salem St. Malden, MA 9-9pm M-Th; 9-6 F-Sat. Closed Sundays.Monday, February 3rd reception 6-7pm

Amy Golahny Rembrandt (1)

Amy Golahny: "Rembrandt's Artemesia Revisited"

In 2000 the author proposed that the regal woman in the painting by Rembrandt(1606–1669) in the Prado is Artemisia, queen of Caria in the fourth centuryBC, rather than Sophonisba, Carthaginian princess, as she has often been called (“Rembrandt’s ‘Artemisia’: Arts Patron,” Oud Holland, 114, 2/4, 2000, 139-52). Artemisia rules with Mausolos, her husband, and they built a monument to hold their ashes as a tomb; after his death she drinks a potion of his ashes daily, and commissions poetry in his honor. The present article brings additional support for Artemisia as the subject of the painting.  Rembrandt would have read about Artemisia during his year at Leiden university, when his textbook contained essential details of her life. As Rembrandt included an enormous book to show her patronage of poetry in honor of her deceased husband, he would be followed by several Dutch painters in their versions of the story. This article further examines the early inventories that mention Rembrandt's painting, and the recent interpretations of it as representing Judith at the banquet of Holofernes or Esther.

Photography by Bruce R. Wahl

CONSTITUENT PARTS: Cathy Della Lucia and Nicholas Anthony Mancini in Dialogue

Cathy Della Lucia’s modular sculptures merge hand-finished wood, 3D-printed silicone, ceramics, and found objects. Using traditional Japanese joinery, these interactive pieces unfold and reassemble, reflecting her diverse experiences as a sculptor, former athlete, Korean-American adoptee, and woman in the U.S.

Reception: January 30, 2025, 6-8PM @ 808 Gallery, Boston University

For more details

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Khalid Kodi NYC image resized

Khalid Kodi's Out of Place: Alternative Landsacapes and Other Stories

Skoto Gallery is pleased to present Out of Place: Alternative Landscapes and Other Stories, an exhibition of recent works by the Sudanese-born artist Khalid Kodi. This will be his third solo show at the gallery. The reception is on Thursday, January 30, 6-8pm. The artist will be present.artist will be present. Out of Place is a conceptual exploration of the dynamic interplay between nature and human perception. These alternative landscapes challenge traditional notions of place and expand the boundaries of how we perceive and interact with the environment. Through fluid forms, vibrant gestures, and abstracted terrains, the works invite us to step beyond the static imagery of landscapes and enter a world of endless possibilities—where nature is not merely observed but continuously rearranged, imagined, and co-created. This exhibition examines the moments when nature escapes definition. Here, nature is both static and mutable, an entity we encounter and rearrange—sometimes with intention, sometimes in unconscious gestures, and other times in states of playful disruption. “Out of Place” reflects a search for that which lies beyond the known—a place of desire, comfort, majesty, love, and even madness. It asks: What happens when we deconstruct landscapes? When we let our minds wander through imagined terrains? When we infuse our interactions with nature with elements of whimsy, chaos, and longing? The abstract compositions of Out of Place reject the rigidity of fixed landscapes. Instead, they propose an alternative: a fluid interplay of color, form, and movement. Swirling brushstrokes, scattered patterns, and unexpected juxtapositions evoke a sense of both familiarity and dislocation. These are not landscapes we know; they are landscapes we dream of, where natural forms and human interventions collide, merge, and transform. At its core, this collection is a meditation on the human tendency to shape and be shaped by the natural world. It celebrates the tension between control and surrender, order and chaos. In these works, we find a mirror of our own restless curiosity and our constant quest to reimagine the spaces we inhabit. Out of Place: Alternative Landscapes and Other Stories is an invitation to explore the profound interplay of perception, imagination, and the natural world. Through this exhibition, viewers are encouraged to reflect on their own relationship with landscapes—both the ones they know and the ones they yearn to create. Born in Sudan, Khalid Kodi is an accomplished artist who has lived and worked in the US since the early 1990s. He is an educator, a public intellectual, and a cultural critic who has emerged as a central figure working on multi/cross cultural concepts. A pioneer of Participatory Art, he uses visual language to address social change issues and facilitate communication between communities, including communities in conflict and individuals who are not literate. Kodi uses art as a mechanism to create a platform for dialogue on constructions of identity across racial, gender socio-economic, and other forms of difference, co-existence, justice and peace. His work has been widely exhibited with critical acclaim. 

Stephanie Leone news item January 24, 2025 (1)

Stephanie Leone's "Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj: Patron of the Villa del Gran Priorato, Rome (1678-1730)"

Professor Stephanie Leone has published an article about "Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj: Patron of the Villa del Gran Priorato, Rome (1678-1730)," in L’Ordine di Malta e la Lingua d’Italia. Architettura e temi decorativi dalla Controriforma al Settecento, a special issue of the journal Lexicon, available here. Leone argues that the relationship between the Order of Malta and Benedetto Pamphilj--who served as Grand Prior of Rome from 1678 to 1730--was mutually beneficial. The exceptionally educated young nobleman blossomed into a consummate cardinal patron, who took seriously his stewardship of the Order and the villa del Gran Priorato. Her archival research shows that Cardinal Pamphilj sponsored major repairs to the Villa from 1689 to 1705. In 1704, he built a new garden pavilion that was designed and executed by Francesco Fontana and commissioned Luigi Garza to paint a fresco of the Ecce angus Dei, in the vault of this pavilion. Professor Leone demonstrates that the position of Grand Prior was the means through which Benedetto Pamphilj fulfilled the expectations of a cardinal-prince, at once wealthy secular aristocrat and pious apostolic successor. 

2025 Faculty & Staff Art Show

2025 Faculty & Staff Art Show

Stephanie Leone

Pope Innocent X and Roma sancta

Prof. Stephanie Leone presented a paper on "Pope Innocent X and Roma sancta," at the Early Modern Rome 5 Conference, which was held in Rome and the Orsini-Odescalchi Castle on Lake Bracciano. Prof. Leone interpreted Algardi's magnificent altarpiece of Saint Leo the Great and Attila the Hun, in St. Peter's, as Innocent X's revival of early Christian Rome for the Holy Year of 1650.