Allison
-
Restored Rock Garden
I covered the restoration of Minnesota’s Itasca Rock Garden for Raw Vision magazine. The elaborate environment of follies and foliage was started in 1925 by a farmer and now almost a century later it has been returned to much of its former glory. You can read an excerpt of the story online and find the…
-
Dance of Death Essay
For the Public Domain Review, I wrote an essay on the dance of death in centuries of art, particularly in printmaking where it has been used as a rapid response to war, disease, and other crises. Read it here!
-
Spooky Paris Tour
I’m excited that this October I’m helping to co-lead a Morbid Anatomy tour of Paris with tarot scholar Laetitia Barbier. It will run from October 10 to 15 and we will visit unusual sights like the carnival arts museum, alchemical history locales, and of course cemeteries. A few tickets still remain!
-
Keith Haring Mural Conservation
For the Art Newspaper, I covered the conservation of a mural Keith Haring painted in 1989 in an Iowa City school. It’s on view to the public for the first time before it will be returned to its permanent place in the school. Read all about it here!
-
Cemetery Symbolism Class
On Sundays from August 4 to 25, I’ll be teaching an online class with Morbid Anatomy called “Speak with the Dead: A Crash Course in Understanding Cemetery Symbolism.” We’ll explore symbolism from ancient rites up to the modern age. Sign up here!
-
Reflecting on NYC’s Dutch Heritage
What does NYC’s Dutch heritage mean 400 years on? I explored the complicated legacy of New Amsterdam through historic houses that are reflecting on how their structures tell stories of slavery and colonialism as part of the founding of what became New York City. Read the piece on the Art Newspaper.
-
Language of Flowers Walk
On Saturday, June 9, I’ll be returning to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn for a walk exploring the language of flowers. We’ll see tombs that reflect the Victorian fascination with floral symbolism and decode the meaning of the blooms. Get tickets here!
-
Impressionism Reading List
For JSTOR Daily, I put together a reading list timed with the 150th anniversary of the Impressionist art movement. Read about everything from the importance of synthetic pigments to the influence of Japanese art!
-
Salvation of a Prophet’s House
For the Art Newspaper, I covered the conservation and opening to the public of the Prophet Isaiah’s Second Coming House in Niagara Falls, New York. It’s an incredible, kaleidoscopic house adorned inside and out with Isaiah Robertson’s art. Read all about it here!
-
Spring 2024 Issue of Fine Books
The spring 2024 issue of Fine Books & Collections that I edited is out now! It includes stories on visual depictions of the arctic, bird field guides, doll house libraries, and much more. I also wrote its feature on the new library at the AMNH and why science needs libraries. Pick up a copy here.
-
The Preservation of Historic Black Cemeteries
For the Art Newspaper, I wrote a story on the challenges of preserving historic Black cemeteries in the United States that have long been purposefully overlooked. Available to read here.