Lilian Armstrong, Mildred Lane Kemper professor of art emerita, of Wellesley, Mass., has been awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Emeritus Fellowship with funding over a period of two years for her work on "The Illustration of Francesco Petrarca's De viris illustribus, 1370-1540." She will travel to various libraries in Europe and America to view Petrarch manuscripts and early printed books and then write on her topic.
Margaret Carroll, professor of art history, of Cambridge, Mass., has been awarded the International Eugène Baie Award 2003-2009 for her book "Painting and Politics in Northern Europe: Van Eyck, Breugel, Rubens and Their Contemporaries." The prize, administered by the provincial government of Antwerp, is awarded every five years to a foreign author for a work written in his/her mother tongue on the history of the Flemish civilization, culture or art. The award was presented Friday, Oct. 29, in Antwerp.
Colin Channer, Newhouse visiting professor in creative writing, of Wellesley, Mass., recently received the Silver Musgrave Medal, which recognizes outstanding Jamaicans for their work in the literary, scientific and artistic fields by the Institute of Jamaica. "When the definitive text Jamaica in Literature is written, Colin Channer will be a major writer indicative of that transition period in our literary evolution which began at the end of the 21st century," said organizers. "Channer's arrival lit a fire noticed not only by the aficionados but by folks who had not read a novel in ages." Channer is founder of the Calabash International Literary Festival, held annually in Jamaica. "Colin stands out from amongst his contemporaries for his missionary zeal and generosity in sharing his passion for literature," the institute noted.
On Thursday, Nov. 4, Thomas Cushman, professor of sociology, of Wellesley, Mass., will join Jeffrey Alexander, author of "The Performance of Politics," in a conversation, "Obama and the Democratic Struggle for Power," at Labyrinth Books in New Haven, Conn. They will discuss the many factors beyond demography that determine votes in American politics.
Architectural historian Alice Friedman, the Grace Slack McNeil professor of the history of art and director of the McNeil Program for Studies in American Art, kicked off a lecture series at Princeton University focused on how people acknowledge and value free time. She discussed how America became seduced by the idea of transforming everyday life into a glamorous and leisurely lifestyle. One of the examples she points to in her work is the representation of free time at the Kaufmann House, which was designed by architect Richard Neutra in Palm Springs, Calif., in 1946. Friedman is the author of numerous books and articles on domestic architecture, women's history and patronage. Her most recent book, "American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture," reflects on the cultural aspirations of a post-World War II America seemingly obsessed with the transformation of everyday life into all-encompassing symbols of leisure and glamour.
Wilbur Rich, William R. Kenan Jr. professor of political science emeritus, of Charlotte, N.C., presented the lecture, "The Lincoln and Obama Legacies: The Perils of Channeling," at the Wepner Symposium at the University of Illinois, Springfield, Ill., last month.
Patrick Willoughby, director of sustainability, of Norfolk, Mass., gave a lecture at the Sustainable Wellesley Expo and Symposium. The event featured displays of green products and building materials, vendor booths with information on cutting energy costs and many people to share ideas on recycling, composting and home energy auditing.
