Reese Murphy

What was the most impactful class you took in your major? 

This is such a hard question! I think the most impactful class I took in my major was my independent study course. In that course, I was able to conduct research into the lives and works of the female Impressionists, and how they responded to the concept of “modern womanhood” in their art. My independent study gave me a lot of valuable insight about the challenges and rewards of doing research and forming my own arguments. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to build my own reading list, have my own discussions about readings with my advisor, and create a research topic that was entirely tailored to my area of interest. I cannot thank Dr. Schulman, or the Art History department, enough for allowing me to have that opportunity.

What activities were you involved in during your time at Mason that impacted you? 

During my time at Mason I formed a lot of really important friendships and connections, but I think I am most proud of the work I did as a production designer on two Mason Film projects. Doing production design gave me a chance to work with art and design in a hands-on fashion, which I don’t get to do very often in art history. I was able to learn a lot about how film sets work, while leveraging my knowledge of art and principles of design to help my friends’ artistic visions come to life.

What is your most memorable “Mason moment?” 

I’ve had a lot of really great moments at Mason, so this is really hard to answer. I think my most memorable moment at Mason was my presentation at the SUNY New Paltz 2024 Undergraduate Art History Symposium in April. I worked with Dr. Jacquelyn Williamson and Dr. Angela Ho to create a strong research presentation, which was selected to be presented at the international symposium in early April. I am so grateful to my professors, and to SUNY New Paltz for giving me that opportunity. It was so incredible to present my research to other art historians, and to learn from all the other presenters. It made me realize just how big the world of art history is, and how valuable the study of visual culture is.