I began my graduate studies in the History of Art at Pitt in 2019 after spending seven years working in a variety environments–museum education, gallery administration, higher-ed publishing, and academic administration. Most recently, I worked for the Center for Renaissance studies at the Newberry Library in Chicago where I had the opportunity to help out with a few DH projects, including a new Italian Paleography website. This gave me a little taste of the Digital Humanities world, and I’m interested in thinking more about how I can smartly engage in this through my research, which is part of why I’m here. The other part is that I’m interested in thinking about and across disciplines as I develop a dissertation project and consider possible career paths.

My research interests have to do with the role of Early Modern metaphysical theory in shaping a connection between meaning and materiality in the creation of 16th- and 17th-century Blessed Sacrament chapels and altars, especially in Rome. I am interested in the motivations which led to the commissioning of these works and the artistic process of design, in addition to the formal qualities of the preparatory works, the final artworks, and the space they occupy. Currently, I am working to develop a dissertation project related to the interest of the Beati Moderni and other Counter-Reformation era personalities in early-Christian archeology. Out of these interests, a secondary interest is developing in book history, especially the visual and textual descriptions of art and architecture found in early Modern books and manuscripts.