4:16 p.m., July 8, 2008--Eight seniors from universities across the nation and Puerto Rico completed UD's first Arts and Humanities Summer Institute (AHSI) July 2, with presentations about their research and a new awareness of the University of Delaware.

The goals of the institute, which ran from June 9-July 3, are to encourage a more diverse pool of students to apply to arts and humanities graduate programs at UD, give AHSI participants a chance to work closely with some of the University's arts and humanities faculty and to mentor AHSI participants through the process of applying to graduate programs in the arts and humanities.

“Sign me up,” was all Diane Circelli, an English major from the University of Southern California, would say when asked if she'll consider UD for graduate school.

“I had never even heard of UD. To me, Delaware was just a state, but these people are gold!” She was referring to the English department and AHSI faculties. Circelli said she had no awareness of UD until she received e-mail from Rosalind Johnson, AHSI director.

Johnson said AHSI is a new program offering underrepresented, highly motivated college seniors who plan to attend graduate school a unique opportunity to learn about graduate programs in art, art conservation, art history and English at UD.

“We hope, through this summer experience, the students will be encouraged to apply to arts and humanities graduate programs at UD," Johnson said. "One of the criteria used in selecting students to participate in the program was whether or not they have the potential to be successful in graduate school at UD."

Shana Jenkins, a studio art major from Virginia State University, also was unfamiliar with UD. “This program really helped me 'see' the University of Delaware. I never knew about it, but now I'm considering applying.” She said the faculty was welcoming and knowledgeable and the program was intense but wonderful and helped her to decide whether or not graduate school was a good fit for her.

Both Anthony Ramos, an English major from Fayetteville State University, and Nicole Simmons, a history major from North Carolina A&T, were unfamiliar with UD, but both said they came away from AHSI with a new awareness and appreciation for the school, faculty and curriculum. “This program gave me the push I needed to apply to graduate school, and now I am considering UD,” Simmons said.

Student presentations were based on the research they did during a rigorous four-week program in the classroom and at research libraries and laboratories on campus and at the Winterthur and Hagley museums, the UD Library and the Delaware Art Museum.

AHSI participants' research presentations included:

• “A Brief Discussion on Brian Wallis' 'Black Bodies, White Science: Louis Agassiz's Slave Daguerreotypes'” by Shannon Brogdon-Grantham, Spelman College;
• “Riffing Outcries in Literature and Art: Thoreau, Tanner, Wright and Dyson” by Circelli;
• “Kara Walker's Cut” by Victoria Hamilton, Fisk University;
• “Unspoken--Expanding the Discourse: Art and the Southern Negro" by Shari Inniss-Grant, a recent graduate of Howard University;
• “On Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free” by Jenkins;
• “Delta Blues and the 1927 Mississippi Flood” by Ramos;
• “Winslow Homer: A Visit From Old Mistress” by Simmons; and
• “In Search of Reality in Films” by Andres Arias, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photo by Duane Perry