In 2019–20, the Lunder Institute for American Art convened its inaugural cohort of Research Fellows, all scholars working on art by African Americans represented in the Colby Museum’s collections. The program was organized and led by Tanya Sheehan, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Art and the Lunder Institute’s Director of Research and Distinguished Scholar for 2019–20. A unique feature of this non-residential program is that each scholar was assigned a Colby student to serve remotely as a Research Assistant for the academic year. The pairings proved successful, evidenced by the numerous occasions when the Research Fellows highlighted the Colby students’ contributions during the Lunder Institute Research Symposium held on March 13.
Carter Wynne ’20, Katie Herzig ’20, Jane MacKerron ’20, and Olivia Hochstadt ’21 reflect on their experiences working to support the Research Fellows program. The roundtable is moderated by Jessamine Batario, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lunder Institute, who provided research guidance and mentorship to the group of students throughout the year.