Art History Associate Professor Kristin Dowell spent the spring of 2026 in residence at the History of Art department at the University of College Cork as a Fulbright Scholar to Ireland. She carried out research in archives, galleries, and special collections and conducted artist interviews and studio visits, exploring identity, language, and cultural memory within contemporary Irish art.
Dr. Dowell’s Fulbright award, “Investigating Impact through Innovative Research Dissemination,” is centered on public engagement projects and investigating fresh ways of sharing publications beyond the traditional academic environment and into wider communities. For her project, “Interwoven: Cultivating Community Engagement through Curating Irish Art,” Dowell focused on developing a curatorial proposal for a new exhibition of contemporary Irish art.
In February, Dr. Dowell gave a guest lecture on Indigenous women’s art and activism in a third-level art history seminar. While in Dublin researching at the National Gallery of Ireland, National Folklore Collection, National Library of Ireland and the National Archives, she also conducted a studio visit with artist Ellen Martin-Friel at Distillers Press, a renowned working typography and letterpress print studio at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).
In March, Dr. Dowell delivered two keynote lectures, “Beacons of Light: The Role of Digital Media in Native American Language Reclamation” for the Digital Sustainability for Minoritized Languages symposium, organized by Dr. Erin McNulty with UCC’s Applied Linguistics department, and “Fite Fuaite: Curating Irish Language and Art” hosted by the Modern Irish department at UCC. This talk provided a behind-the-scenes look at the curation, exhibition design, and public programming of Talamh agus Teanga: Land and Language in Contemporary Irish Art which was exhibited at FSU’s MoFA in 2024.
Dowell writes,
“Tá mé fíor-bhuíoch as an deis seo, I am truly grateful for this opportunity! It has been an incredible experience to connect with faculty at UCC, to learn from artists, to see amazing exhibitions, and to use my Irish during my time here. I look forward to building on these connections in my future research and curatorial practice.”
As Dr. Dowell and her family prepare to begin an exciting new chapter in Arizona, the Department of Art History extends its warmest congratulations and best wishes for success and happiness in their new community. They will be greatly missed!
