Researching Art & Material Culture

Conclusion

Generous funding from the Colonial Academic Alliance grant to UD’s Center for Material Culture Studies made it possible to undertake the collections-based research and field studies that enriched the course in measurable ways. Without this financial support, the seminar would not have been able to engage the students in this invaluable mode of experiential learning. The outcomes speak for themselves, underscoring the continued need for funding to support historical learning both within and outside the classroom and the transformative effect such support can exert on the education of graduate students.

The main challenge we faced was one of timing, caused wholly by the pandemic: we had to delay implementation of the grant funding until we could come back together on campus for in-person learning, and even then, we had to work around the admission hours of various museums and libraries, and staff availability at those institutions. Again, as the outcomes suggest, the challenge was worth every minute in terms of the opportunities the students experienced.

LEFT: UD students at Stenton

BELOW: UD Special Collections in Hugh Morris Library (Wendy Bellion, 2021)