Undergraduate Alumni

Photo of eight undergraduate students in caps and gowns for graduation.

Undergraduate Alumni

An art history and archaeology degree that teaches you how to look, how to write, how to interpret visual and material culture, and how to advance a research project of your own design can prepare you for many exciting outcomes in life beyond college. Our majors and minors go on to a very broad spectrum of careers. Some alumni pursue graduate degrees and go onto careers in academe in art history, archaeology, or related fields (particularly in history, literature, classics, and foreign languages). Some are also artists, architects and designers who pursue their practice on their own or in graduate school. Many former majors take up fascinating careers in museum work, and assume a range of exciting curatorial, educational and administrative roles. Others go on to explore the dynamic worlds of art galleries and auction houses, or to work in non-profit arts organizations and foundations. Still others take a few years off to explore teaching and community service work around the country and the world. And many of our students head straight into diverse professional paths such as law, medicine, business, social work, politics, and more. The options are endless! We recently reached out to our graduates to ask where they are now and what their art history and archaeology education has meant to them over the years. If you are among our alumni, please get in touch with your news by filling out our alumni update form, available at the bottom of this page.

2021–2023

Jonathan Cher (BA 2021) is a Senior Associate in Foundation Relations at Carnegie Hall.

Lauren McGinnis (BA 2021) is an Assistant Designer at Sachin & Babi.

Marion Murphy (BA 2021) is a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Natalie Snyder (BA 2021) is a Digitization Technician at the Library of Congress.

Meghan Street (BA 2021) is a Communications Specialist at Washington University in St. Louis.

Maggie Wald (BA 2021) is an Education and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Missouri Historical Society.


2015–2020

Ellen Birch (BA 2019) is an MA student in Modern Art History at the University of Texas, Austin, after spending the previous year teaching in France.

Natalie Edwards (BA 2018) is a Classics Department teacher. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainable Cultural Heritage at the American University of Rome. Says Natalie:

“In courses with Professor Wallace, Professor Jones, and Professor Kleutghen, I learned that art is not a luxury but a necessity for human beings. I became a better writer, a more diligent student, and an advocate for the importance of the arts. In our most challenging moments, we turn to art and to our cultural heritage to remind us of our identity and give us hope. I had always suspected this was true but it was at WashU that I made this discovery for myself.”

Rosa Jang (BA, BFA 2019) is an incoming MA student in Art History (Asian Art track) at Boston University. Says Rosa:

"My path to graduate school is deeply informed by my undergraduate work with Dr. Kristina Kleutghen, and my own art practice during my time at Wash U."

Lucie Kessler (BA 2015) works at Sotheby’s Auction House. 

Byron Otis (BA 2019) is an MA student in Art History at Williams College.


Ebonie Pollock (BA 2019) is a curatorial assistant the the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. In the fall of 2021, she will begin her PhD studies in Art History at Harvard University. She is a recipient of the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship.

Madeline Wareing (BA 2016) is the VP of Customer Success at CommentSold.
 


2010–2014

Dan Arteaga (BA 2012) is a Resident Physician at UT Southwestern.

 

Kimberly Burfiend (BA 2010) is a Clinical Fellow of Pediatric Critical Care at UC San Francisco. 

 

Annie Correll (BA 2013) is a PhD Candidate at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. Says Annie: 

“I think back on my education in the art history department at Wash U all the time! It gave me a solid foundation to work in the field and a passion for working hands on with art objects through its close connections with the Kemper and the Saint Louis Art Museum.”

Elena Gittleman (BA 2013) is a PhD Candidate in Art History at Bryn Mawr College. 

 

Dani Gorin (BA 2010) is the SVP of Television at Media Res Studio. 

 

Elisabeth Housman (BA 2014) is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Harborview Medical Center. Elisabeth is an avid mountaineer and climber, and she summited all five volcanoes in Washington state this season (2020).

 

Haley Berkman Karren (BA 2010) is the Principal and Founder at Karren Art Advisory, a full-service art advisory and appraisal firm specializing in modern and contemporary art and photography. She focuses on promoting the work of emerging and mid-career artists to collectors.

 

Elizabeth Madsen (BA 2013) is an Attorney at Ropes & Gray LLP.

 

Molly Moog (BA 2012) is a Research Assistant at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

 

Laurel Morris (BA 2013) is a Support Manager at Bandcamp. Says Laurel: 

“I am so grateful for the art history department. While I didn't end up pursuing a graduate degree in art history and my career has taken me down many different paths, the critical thinking, research, and writing skills I learned through studying art history have allowed me to be succeed post-graduation.”

Laura Downing Peters (BA 2010) is the Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies & Fashion Study Collection Curator at Columbia College Chicago. 

Anna G. Singh (BA 2011) is the Head of International at Glossier.

Laura Steefel-Moore (BA 2011) is the Head of Educational Programs at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Says Laura: 

“The wonderful professors and opportunities for hands-on museum learning convinced me that I wanted to pursue a career in art museums.”

Sarah Kravet Wagner (BA 2010) is the Vice President of Kravet Inc.

 

Rebecca Wahrman (BA 2012) is a Solutions Engineer at Instructure. 

 

John Witty (BA 2010) is a PhD candidate at Emory University. He is writing a dissertation on the fourteenth-century Italian painter Paolo Veneziano.

 

Catherine Wood (BA 2011) is a Syndicated Research Associate at Ivy Research Council.

 

Melanie Yaris (BA 2013) is an Associate at ZGF Architects. Says Melanie: 
 

“My education provided me with an understanding of how art is informed by its context and how to translate what I see into different forms of writing. Now, I write about architectural design and apply this knowledge to my work every day. I will also always continue to learn about and appreciate art, a passion which was nurtured during my time at Washington University. Additionally, I started to create my own art after my time at Washington University, taking classes in photography, painting, and drawing on nights and weekends and always working on new projects.”
 


2005–2009

Andrew Appleton (BA 2008) is an architect. Andrew is a member of the public art advisory committee for Alameda County in the Bay Area.

 

Christina Carl (BA 2005) is a Development Manager at College Possible. 

 

Emma Dent (BA 2009) is a communications specialist in University Advancement at Washington University in St. Louis.

Faye Gleisser (BA 2006) is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Indiana University, Bloomington. Faye says:

I loved all of the art history courses that I took at WashU. These classes, and the ways that the professors were able to open up and animate the past through the questions embedded in art objects and exhibitions inspired me to pursue a career in the discipline.

 

Nicole Goldstein (BA 2009) received graduate education in Museum Studies at Bank Street College in NYC. She is currently home caring for her toddler.

Orly Henry (BA 2007) is an attorney. Orley says:

 To this day I still have a great appreciation for art and a visual orientation toward the world. There are many trips I would like to take just to see art that I learned about many years ago.
 

Diana Ioffe (BA 2009) is a physician.

 

Sarah Jarrett (BA 2006) is Associate General Counsel for Vantage Health Plan, Inc.

 

Shana Klein (BA 2005) is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Kent State University.

 

Daniel Marcus (BA 2006) is an Associate Curator at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Says Dan:


“My training in art history at Wash U was completely formative -- it encouraged me to pursue a PhD in the discipline, and it also opened vital channels into the museum/curatorial world. The combined resources of the Kemper and SLAM on/around campus, combined with the Pulitzer and CAMSTL downtown, were truly formidable; they leavened my studies in ways large and small.” 

C. Oliver O’Donnell (BA 2005) is a Research Associate at the Warburg Institute, University of London. Oliver’s first book, which concerns the life and thought of the art historian Meyer Schapiro, is now published.
 

Sarah O’Leary (BA 2007) works at Deloitte.

 

Amy Power (BA 2009) is an Account Director at R/GA. Says Amy: 
 

“Learning how to look critically at art informs the way I approach my work in tech, design and advertising every day.”

Britt Royal (BA 2009) is the owner and Head Baker of Britt's Bakehouse, a dedicated gluten-free bakery in Kirkwood, MO where she can often be caught talking about paintings and archeological digs while mixing up batter or frosting a cake.

 

Delia Solomons (BA 2006) is an Assistant Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at Drexel University. 

 

Miriam Truppin-Brown (BA 2008) is an architect. 

 

Rachel Tucker (BA 2008) works at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 

 

Christine Wells (BA 2007) is an Event Producer and Private Chef. Christine’s work shows that art can come in many forms, such as on a plate or in an event installation.
 


2004–2000

Kate Carcaterra (BA 2004) is the Director of Museum Education and Art History Teacher at the Marymount School. Kate had a son, Oliver, December 2, 2019. Says Kate: 
 

“I teach Art History at the high school level, among other things. Outside of this, my husband and I love going to museums whenever possible (in NY or when traveling) and I do consider theater, film, dance etc. to be under the umbrella of Art History as well in many ways---whether thinking of costume or set design---and the performing arts are a huge interest of mine as well. So, Art History is a huge part of my life--both professionally and personally.” 

“When coming to WashU, I wasn't sure if I would major in English or Art History. As it so happened, I just loved that first Art History class and that led me to another....and then another.... I think this just goes to show that whatever a student's first experience with the department is---whether it's the survey course or a 300 level one--really matters. And that the professors really make the department.”
 


1990s
 

Jesse Fertig (BA 1995) is an optometrist.

 

Carrie Lambert-Beatty (BA 1994) is Professor of Art History at Harvard University. Carrie “married an artist who became an entrepreneur and had a baby who became a teenager.” She is still “looking at art and finding stuff to say about it.”

 

Annelise K. Madsen (BA 1999) is the Gilda and Henry Buchbinder Associate Curator of Arts of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago. Annelise’s most recent exhibition was John Singer Sargent and Chicago's Gilded Age (catalogue distributed by Yale University Press) in 2018. Among her current projects is an exhibition on Georgia O'Keeffe and New York, now planned for 2024 at the Art Institute of Chicago. She serves as an advisory board member for Art Institute Review, a peer-reviewed digital scholarly journal, launching in Fall 2021. Says Annelise:
 

“When art history IS your profession, it naturally follows you home. And this year, when I am part-curator and part-third-grade-teacher for my daughter, I will squeeze in an art history or research lesson whenever I can!” 

“Art history at Wash U changed my life. First semester freshman year (Fall 1995), I took Intro to Western Art with Professor Wallace and my world expanded. The field of art history was a perfect fit. It was visual and academic, and it felt like home.”


Nicole R. Myers (BA 1999) is the Barbara Thomas Lemon Senior Curator of European Art and the Chief Curatorial and Research Officer at the Dallas Museum of Art. 
 


1980s

 

Greg M. Thomas (BA 1984) is a Professor in the Department of Art History at The University of Hong Kong.

“For me, art history bridges the professional and the personal. My research and teaching are directly related to the personal meanings I find in art.” 

"My education provided me with an understanding of how art is informed by its context and how to translate what I see into different forms of writing. Now, I write about architectural design and apply this knowledge to my work every day. I will also always continue to learn about and appreciate art, a passion which was nurtured during my time at Washington University."

―Melanie YarisBA 2013, Associate at ZGF Architects

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