Winterthur Program in American MaterialCulture Class of 2016

Winterthur Program
in American MaterialCulture
Class of 2016
An early interest in building led Kevin Adkisson from his home in
Marietta, Georgia, across the U.S. to explore the American architectural
landscape. Entering Yale University, Kevin focused on architecture
as an envelope for objects through work in the Yale University Art
Gallery’s American Decorative Arts Furniture Study. After earning
his B.A. in architecture (2012), Kevin’s interest in contemporary
traditional design led him to work for Robert A.M. Stern in New York
City as a research and writing associate. Most recently, Kevin exercised
his technical abilities at Kent Bloomer Studio in New Haven, where
he designed and fabricated architectural ornament. Kevin brings his
passion for architecture and design history to Winterthur to develop a
deeper understanding of American material culture.
Kevin Adkisson
Hannah Boettcher is from Paoli, Pennsylvania, and developed an
appreciation for regional American art and history while visiting
relatives in the Midwest. She received her B.F.A. in painting and art
history with a minor in history from Washington University in St. Louis
in 2012. While in school, Hannah studied art in Florence, Italy, and
interned in collections and interpretation at the Philadelphia Museum
of Art, Winterthur Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum and Campbell
House Museum. In summer 2013, she served as the 1800 House intern
in historic arts and crafts at Nantucket Historical Association. Hannah
volunteers in curatorial research at the Museum of the American
Revolution and most recently promoted public interest in material
culture at Crate & Barrel and the Brandywine River Museum of Art. At
Winterthur, she looks forward to studying how artists have represented
objects and exploring the many things created to contain other things.
Born and raised in central New Jersey, Katie Bonanno’s diligence in
preserving the ephemera of her childhood led her to work towards
an Honors B.A. in art conservation with distinction at the University
of Delaware. She graduated in 2014 after studying in Cambodia and
Vietnam as well as adding minors in art history, material culture
studies, public policy, and environmental humanities to her course
of study. Katie gained hands-on experience in the preservation of
cultural heritage by interning in museums from Delaware to Alaska,
completing treatments of textiles, paper, outdoor sculpture, and
objects. Increasingly fascinated by the potential for meaningful
dialogue around museum objects, Katie linked her diverse academic
interests through her senior thesis, an investigation of the role
of museums in their surrounding communities. Arguing for the
importance of community engagement in museums, she translated
theory into practice through a series of community-based public
programs she planned, facilitated, and evaluated at the University
of Delaware’s Mechanical Hall Gallery. At Winterthur, Katie looks
forward to exploring further linkages between museums, material
culture, and a diverse public.
Katie Bonanno
Willie Granston was raised on Mount Desert Island, Maine. At an early
age, he became fascinated with the area’s rich collection of summer
cottages, many designed by Amerca’s preeminent architects of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He received his undergraduate
degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he majored
in art history and French, and minored in architectural studies. During
his junior year he studied the political symbolism of French architecture
at the Institute d’études politiques de Paris (SciencesPo). He is on the
Board of Directors of the Great Harbor Maritime Museum in Northeast
Harbor, Maine, where he has curated several exhibits, including his most
recent: “Sited on the Shore,” which investigates the interrelationship
between the built environment and the natural environment of Mount
Desert Island. Aside from his love of American resort architecture,
Willie enjoys learning about the Art Nouveau movement, collecting
souvenir china, and photographing great architecture from the waters
off Mount Desert Island.
Hannah Boettcher
Willie Granston
Although a native New Englander, Amy comes to Winterthur from
Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned an M.A. in art
history and museum studies. For her thesis, which was supported by
a grant from the Graduate School, she produced a self-guided tour for
the National Building Museum in Washington. Examining change in
the built environment surrounding the museum, the project incorporated
research on her favorite topic, nineteenth-century architecture and
decorative arts. Amy shared her enthusiasm for this subject with public
audiences as a docent at Maymont Mansion and as an educator at
Olana State Historic Site. Before embarking on a museum career, Amy
explored material culture by processing fiber at a mill in upstate New
York and attending an archaeological dig in Cyprus organized by New
York University, where she earned her B.A. in art history. Amy looks
forward to examining pre-nineteenth-century subjects and cultivating
new museum interpretation skills while at Winterthur.
Growing up in Ambler, Pennsylvania, Rosalie Hooper’s historical bent
flourished when she began volunteering as a costumed interpreter at
nearby Peter Wentz Farmstead. She graduated from Haverford College
with a B.A. in history with honors, a minor in mathematics, and won
the History Department’s S.P. Lippincott Prize. During a semester
in Rome, Rosalie worked at the Excavation of the Mausoleum of
Augustus. She developed a passion for all things Ben Franklin while
working as a storyteller in Philadelphia. After receiving a research
grant and a SHEAR/Mellon fellowship, Rosalie wrote her thesis about
Pennsylvania Hall, which was destroyed by a mob three days after it
opened in 1838. After graduating, Rosalie worked as a payroll clerk
and created Pennsylvania Hall Day, an educational event at the National
Constitution Center. When she isn’t indulging her love for Philadelphia
history, Rosalie enjoys reminiscing about her days in Queen Diamond,
Roslie Hooper
Emily Pazar grew up in Maryland and Upstate New York, gaining an
appreciation for art and history in a family fond of antique stores and
museum visits. Her university education brought her to Montreal, where
she studied at McGill University for a B.A. in history, graduating with
first class honors. In Budapest, she learned about Hungarian language
and culture at the Balassi Summer University. Her two honors projects
centered on the semiotics of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and
perceptions of Bauhaus identity in Hungarian émigré artists living in
the United States. Seeking experiences connecting ideas about identity
and objects, Emily acted as a guide at Château Ramezay Historic
Site and Museum of Montreal. She was also a volunteer coordinator
for a women’s artisan entrepreneurship nonprofit, Artistri Sud, and an
interpretive intern at Gettysburg’s Eisenhower National Historic Site.
She looks forward to pursuing the study of identity, nostalgia, and
memory through material culture at Winterthur.
Matthew Skic grew up in central New Jersey where he developed a
passion for the history of the early United States. Participation in
living history demonstrations, family journeys to museums, and
employment as an historical interpreter at Washington Crossing State
Park encouraged his interest in material culture. Matthew earned a B.A.
in history at American University where he examined the deployment of
wartime memories by veterans of the American War for Independence
in his senior thesis. He also volunteered at the National Archives and
completed a collections management and a curatorial internship at
the National Museum of American History. As a curatorial intern, he
studied a collection of English creamware jugs and bowls produced for
the American market. A dedicated baseball fan and autograph collector,
Matthew also enjoys woodworking, sewing, and collecting World War
II military antiques with his brother. At Winterthur, Matthew plans to
continue his study of American historical memory through objects.
Matthew Skic
Amy Griffin
Emily Pazar
Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, Class of 2016