News Release

Faculty member awarded fellowship at Smithsonian museum

May 14, 2008

Penn State Harrisburg Assistant Professor of Humanities and Art History/Visual Culture Robin Veder has been awarded a senior fellowship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

In the fall of 2008, Dr. Veder will be researching "embodied modernism" by looking at how exercise and dance contributed to American modern art aesthetics in the period of 1880-1940. Arthur B. Davies, an American artist, curator, collector, and collections adviser, is the central figure in the study. His works will be featured in a related exhibit in the Palmer Museum of Art on the University Park campus in spring 2009.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is America's first federal art collection, dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of American art. The museum celebrates the extraordinary creativity of our country's artists, whose works are windows on the American experience. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is an internationally recognized center for scholarship in the field of American art history and visual culture. The museum offers academic opportunities for scholars at the graduate level and above, research opportunities for visiting scholars, and professional museum training for college seniors and graduate students.

The museum, now part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center, presents an exciting array of special exhibitions and free public programs. It is located above the Gallery Place Metro station at 8th and F Streets N.W. The National Historic Landmark building that houses the art museum and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery is one of the oldest public buildings constructed in early Washington, D.C., and is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States.