Reynolda House Museum of American Art welcomes Wendy Katz as recipient of the Reynolda Fellowship
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 22, 2019)— Art historian Wendy Katz, Ph.D., has joined Reynolda House Museum of American Art as the recipient of the year-long Reynolda Fellowship, funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Reynolda is a partner with Wake Forest University in the fellowship, which was created to advance cross-disciplinary learning across campus and in the community. Katz’s research and teaching will enrich the interpretation of historic Reynolda, including its relationship to the Reynolds family’s multi-faceted legacy, its impact on Winston-Salem and its contemporary connectivity to student learning at Wake Forest.
“Wendy’s keen interest in the Colonial Revival period and the cultural context of the Progressive era interconnects with Katharine Reynolds’ own interest and vision,” said Allison Perkins, executive director of Reynolda House and Wake Forest University associate provost for Reynolda House and Reynolda Gardens. “Through teaching and research in the humanities, Wendy will ignite curiosity and launch explorations of our history and our collections through the lens of new scholarship.”
As the Reynolda Fellow, Katz will provide fresh insight into Reynolda’s celebrated and multi-faceted collections of American art, decorative arts and archives. Katz will also have a direct impact on students and learning in the upcoming Spring semester when she co-teaches American art with David Lubin, the Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art at Wake Forest.
Associate Dean for the Engaged Liberal Arts and Associate Teaching Professor at Wake Forest Eric Stottlemeyer said, “Thanks to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we have a wonderful opportunity to promote interdisciplinary learning that will engage our students, our faculty and our community. Wendy is a superb researcher and teacher who will help us develop important connections between Reynolda House and Wake Forest College in ways that will enrich our understanding of the arts and history, especially in local contexts.”
On Oct. 2 at 1 p.m., join Katz at Reynolda House for her Object of the Month talk, “Katharine’s Magazines,” as she turns the page on the slicks and pulp magazines that engaged and influenced Katharine Smith Reynolds Johnston.
Katz is on leave from her position as Professor of Art History at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln while at Reynolda.
About the Mellon Foundation Grant
In 2016, Wake Forest received a $650,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of “engaged humanities” – teaching, learning, mentoring and real-world problem solving that moves beyond the classroom. The three-year grant supports a program that focuses on expanding interdisciplinary humanities research, teaching practices and public scholarship.
About Reynolda
Reynolda, in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a rare gem among the nation’s cultural institutions and historic greenspaces. The 51-year-old museum at the center of Reynolda’s 180 acres, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, presents a renowned art collection in a historic and incomparable setting: the original 1917 interiors of the country manor of R. J. Reynolds. Spanning 250 years, the collection is an uncompromisingly selective one, a chronology of American art, with each artist represented by one work of major significance. The Reynolda experience includes a free app called Reynolda Revealed; touring exhibitions in the museum’s Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing; formal gardens, conservatory and walking trails of Reynolda Gardens; and more than 25 of the estate’s original buildings repurposed as shops and restaurants in Reynolda Village. Reynolda, located at 2250 Reynolda Road, is adjacent to and affiliated with Wake Forest University. For more information, please visit reynolda.org.
Connect at facebook.com/rhmaa or @CurateReynolda on Instagram.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University combines the best traditions of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university. Founded in 1834, the school is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The University’s graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity school, and nationally ranked schools of law, medicine and business enrich our intellectual environment. Campus life is enhanced by a complex of historic properties in the Reynolda Historic District, including Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Reynolda Gardens. Learn more about Wake Forest University at wfu.edu.
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Media Contact
Kaci Baez
336.758.5524 or kaci@reynolda.org