Professor Emmerson Honored in Special Session at Congress on Medieval Studies

Colleagues, students, and friends of Professor Richard Emmerson recently gathered to celebrate his distinguished career and contributions to the field of medieval studies. The FSU Department of Art History sponsored two sessions and a reception in Emmerson’s honor at the 52nd International Congress on Medieval Studies in May 2017. In the sessions, an interdisciplinary line-up of scholars presented papers to a packed house and paid tribute to the breadth and influence of Emmerson’s scholarship, which has traversed several disciplines, including the histories of art, literature, and drama. The reception, which was co-sponsored by the FSU Medieval Studies Association, highlighted his contributions to such institutions as FSU, the Medieval Academy, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the International Center of Medieval Art, and Western Washington University. Emmerson’s former and current students presented him with a gift to honor his mentorship: a modern recreation of an illuminated page from an eleventh-century Apocalypse manuscript about which he has written.

The events were organized by former and current FSU Art History students Karlyn Griffith (PhD 2014; Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona), Deirdre Carter (PhD candidate), and Sarah Andyshak (PhD 2015; Assistant Professor at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor). Professor Emerita Paula Gerson kicked off the events as presider of the first session.

Richard Emmerson with a group of his former and current FSU students: Sarah Andyshak, Jennifer Feltman, Deirdre Carter, Beth Woodward, Jennifer Courts, Carey Fee, Sarah Shivers, and Karlyn Griffith.