Materialities
The materials used to create works of art, architecture, and visual culture reveal connections between these objects and the circumstances under which they are produced, displayed, and encountered by viewers. Moving beyond what an object looks like and delving into what it is made of elicits questions about natural resource extraction, environmental impact, trade, and conquest across the globe. Materials also inform how we perceive objects as visual and tactile presences, and impact how we display and attempt to preserve them.
- What distinguishes a medium from a material?
- How does focusing on the materiality of visual culture inform the way we understand historical networks of trade and distribution, locally and globally?
- Why have artists manipulated materials in particular ways in particular times and places, and how does their attention to their chosen medium inflect the meaning of works of art?
May 1, 2024
Author: Ethan Mancillas
When I first learned I had landed a collections internship position at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History I was ecstatic to...
May 1, 2024
Author: Lauren Shuty
When starting this internship at the Public Health Building on Pitt’s campus I was a little weary and embarrassed. I did not know...
May 1, 2024
Author: Sydney McGahey
Going into this internship, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Pitt’s Public Health graduate program graciously donated half of...
May 1, 2024
Author: Lucy Eickelberg
My Spring 2024 internship at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History was led by Gretchen Anderson, Head of Conservation, and began...
May 1, 2024
Scientific Documentation or Creative Exploration? Bridging the Gap Between Natural and Art Histories
Author: Olivia Buehler
Tucked away in an annex of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, amongst the vast collection of anthropological specimens, one...
May 1, 2024
Author: Sam Browne
Upon receiving my acceptance for the intern position at Pitt’s University Art Gallery, or UAG, I was thrilled. I giddily...
April 30, 2024
Author: Grace Marston
As a recipient of Pitt’s Archival Scholars Research Award (ASRA), I had the opportunity to spend the semester working with the...