Christina Maranci
Christina Maranci teaches Early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic art and architecture at Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research focuses on medieval Armenia and cross-cultural relations with the Byzantine, Sasanian and Islamic worlds, as well as problems of historiography. Her book, Medieval Armenian Architecture: Constructions of Race and Nation, examines the role of Austrian art historian Josef Strzygowski in shaping the study of the field. In more recent publications, she has explored the cultural appropriation of Byzantine ideas into Armenian architecture and sculpture, and, in the realm of illuminated manuscripts, is pursuing a study of art and performance in the illustrated Armenian Alexander Romance. She is also currently at work on a study of architecture and princely patronage in medieval Armenia, and on an article considering 19th and early 20th-century paradigms of race and nation in the practice of art history. Education
Ph.D., Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University, 1998 M.A. with Distinction, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University, 1995 B.A. with Honors, Art History, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1990. Employment 2003- Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2001-2003 Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2001 Visiting Chair of Armenian Studies, The University of Chicago 2000 Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 2000 Adjunct Professor, Boston University 1999-2000 Visiting Assistant Professor, Suffolk University 1999 Adjunct Professor, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA 1999 Adjunct Professor, Hellenic College, Brookline, MA 1997 Teaching Assistant, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University Fellowships and Academic Awards 1997-8 Mellon Fellow, Princeton University 1996-7 Lee Fellow, Princeton University 1995-7 Gulbenkian Foundation Fellowship Stanley Seeger Fellow, Princeton University
List of Publications
Books Art History: A Survival Guide for Students (Prentice Hall, 2004)
Medieval Armenian Architecture: Constructions of Race and Nation (Louvain: Peeters, 2001).
Articles "The Historiography of Armenian Architecture: Josef Strzygowski, Austria, and Armenia," Revue des études arméniennes (forthcoming, 2005).
"The Architect Trdat: Building Practices and Cross-Cultural Exchange in Byzantium and Armenia," Journal for the Society of Architectural Historians (September, 2003): 294-305.
"Word and Image in the Armenian Alexander Romance," Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies, 11.
"Byzantium through Armenian Eyes: Cultural Appropriation and the Case of Zvart'noc'," Gesta, 40, no. 2 (2001): 105-24.
"Early European Travelers to Armenia and their Contributions to the Study of Armenian Architecture," Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies, 10 (2000): 7-28.
"Armenian Architecture as Aryan Architecture: The Role of Indo-European Scholarship in the Theories of Josef Strzygowski," Visual Resources, 13 (1999): 361-378.
"Medieval Armenian Architecture in Historiography: Josef Strzygowski and his Legacy," Mνημειο και περιβαλλον, (1998-9): 169-173. Book Chapters
"Armenian Art and Architecture: Religion and Society," in The Armenian Church (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, to appear, 2005)
"Manuscript Painting of Hamshen," in The Hamshen: A Handbook (Richmond, Eng.: Curzon Press, to appear, 2005).
"Architecture and Princely Patronage in Medieval Armenia," in Armenia: Beyond Territory. The Evolution of the Individual Living in the Diaspora (Amsterdam: Rodopi, to appear, 2005).
"The Art and Architecture of the Erzerum Region," Armenian Erzerum/Garin ed. Richard G. Hovannisian (Costa Mesa, Calif.: Mazda Press, 2004).
"Armenian Art and Architecture of Sebastia," Armenian Sepastia/Sivas, ed. Richard G. Hovannisian (Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Press, 2004).
"Armenian Art and Architecture: Religion and Society," in A Concise History of the Armenian Church: A 21st Century Look at the Armenian Religious Tradition (New York: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, 2003).
"Manuscript Painting of Hamshen," in The Hamshen: A Handbook (Richmond, Eng.: Curzon Press, to appear, 2002).
"Architecture and Princely Patronage in Medieval Armenia," in Armenia: Beyond Territory. The Evolution of the Individual Living in the Diaspora (Amsterdam: Rodopi, to appear, 2002).
"The Medieval Architecture of Kharpert," Armenian Tsopk/Kharpert, ed. Richard G. Hovannisian (Costa Mesa, Calif.: Mazda Press, 2002): 185-208.
"The Art and Architecture of Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush," ed. Richard G. Hovannisian (Costa Mesa, Calif.: Mazda Press, 2002): 119-146. Book Reviews
Thomas F. Mathews and Alice Taylor, The Armenian Gospels of Gladzor: The Life of Christ Illuminated (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2001), to appear in Studies in Iconography.
Vrej Nersessian, Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art (London: The British Library, 2001) to appear in the Journal for Armenian Studies.
Treasures in Heaven: Armenian Illuminated Manuscripts, Thomas F. Mathews and Roger S. Wieck, eds. (New York and Princeton: The Pierpont Morgan Library, 1994) in Journal of Middle East Studies, Spring, 2000.
J.G. Davies, Medieval Armenian Art and Architecture. The Church of the Holy Cross, Aght'amar (London: Pindar Press, 1991) in Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies, 9 (1999): 170-172. Newspaper Articles
"Paris Served Raw," Review of David Harvey, Paris: Capital of Modernity (Routledge, 2004) (Shepherd Express, June 24, 2004).
"Shoghaken Ensemble," Review of CD: Traditional Dances of Armenia (Traditional Crossroads), (Shepherd Express, June 17, 2004).
"Afghan Family Affair," Review of Asne Seierstad, The Bookseller of Kabul (Little, Brown, 2003), Shepherd Express, March 18, 2004.
"Portrait in Apricot," Review of Hayden Herrera, Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work, (Farrar, Strauss, amp; Giroux), Shepherd Express, December 11, 2003. Works in Progress
Building Memory and Strategy in a Time of War: The Architecture of Medieval Armenia
"Circles of Authority in Armenian Architecture"
"Strategic Architecture: The Church of Mren and Byzantine-Armenian Relations in the Seventh Century" Translation Projects in Progress
The Architecture of Armenians and Europe, English translation and annotation of Josef Strzgowski's Die Baukunst der Armenier und Europa (Vienna: Anton Schroll & Co., 1918), 2 vols. Conference Presentations
"Circles of Authority in Armenian Architecture," Armenia: Custom, Culture, and Identity, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dec. 4, 2004.
"The Armenian Mosaics of Jerusalem: A Reconsideration," UCLA Conference on Jerusalem, November 4-5, 2004.
"Sound and Movement: Architecture and Epigraphy in Medieval Armenia," Byzantine Studies Conference, University of Maryland, October 31, 2004.
"Constructing Race in the Mediterranean: Art and Architecture in the Work of Josef Strzygowski," Encounters with Islam: The Medieval Mediterranean Experience, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, April 5-6, 2003.
"Word and Image in the Armenian Alexander Romance," Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, Washington DC, November 25, 2002.
"The Visual Culture of Smyrna Armenians," UCLA Conference on Smyrna, November 2-3, 2002.
"Sacred Space: Architecture and Worship in Armenia," Worship Traditions of Armenia and the Neighboring Christian East, St. Nersess Seminary, New Rochelle, NY, September 25-28, 2002.
"Building Domes in Armenia and Byzantium: The Career of the Architect Trdat," The Return of the Dome: Studies in the History of Ideas (Symposium), Princeton University, May 11, 2002.
"The Architect Trdat: From the Great Church in Constantinople to the Great Church at Ani," The UCLA Conference on Ani/Kars, November 8-9, 2001.
"Architecture and Princely Patronage in Early Medieval Armenia," The University of Leiden, October 30, 2001.
"Kings and Storytellers: Visual Narrative in the Armenian Alexander Romance", XXe Congrès international des Études byzantines, August 19-25, 2001.
"The Manuscript Art of Armenian Constantinople", UCLA Conference on Armenian Constantinople, May 28-29, 2001.
"The Cultures of Antiquity in the Theories of Alois Riegl and Josef Strzygowski," College Art Association, Chicago, February, 2001.
"The Art of Cilicia: Cultural Identity and Exchange", UCLA Conference on Cilicia, October 20-22, 2000.
"Art History and the True North: Race and Geography in the Work of Josef Strzygowski", Thirtieth International Congress of the History of Art, London, September 3-8, 2000.
"Perceptions of Parthians in Art Historical Literature," Kings and Things (Symposium on the Parthian Civilization), New York, Cooper Union, February 25, 2000.
"The Art and Architecture of the Armenian Community in Edessa," UCLA Conference on Amida/Diyarbekir/Edessa, Nov. 15-16, 1999.
"The Art and Architecture of Diyarbekir (Amida)," UCLA Conference on Amida/Diyarbekir/Edessa, Nov. 15-16, 1999.
"A Reconsideration of Methodology in the Study of Armenian Architecture", Byzantine Studies Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, November 7-9, 1999.
"The Art and Architecture of Sebastia", UCLA Conference on Sebastia/Sivas, May 15-16, 1999.
"'Native' and 'Foreign' in Armenian Architecture; The Case for a Cross-Cultural Study", College Art Association, Toronto, February 21-28, 1998.
"Artistic Patronage in Medieval Armenia and the Case of the Church of Zvart'noc'", Byzantine Studies Conference, Lexington, Kentucky, November 5-8, 1998.
"The Armenian Churches of New England: Tradition and Adaptation", Armenians of New England. Regional Conference, Waltham, Massachusetts, April 9-10, 1999.
"Josef Strzygowski and Orient oder Rom in the Balkans," Medieval Architecture and Historiography in the Balkans, Princeton University, March 16, 1998.
"'It has a Moorish Flavour'; Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Western Travelers to Armenia", Travelers in Egypt and the Near East, Conference, Oxford University, July 9-12, 1997.
"Armenian Architecture: Scholarship since Strzygowski", 7th Annual Conference on the Cultures of the Caucasus, University of Chicago, May 11-12, 1997.
"Armenian Architecture as Aryan Architecture: Indo-European Scholarship in the Theories of Josef Strzygowski," Association Internationale des Études Arméniennes Conference, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, September 3-7, 1996. Invited Lectures:
"The Landscape of War: Armenian Architecture in the Seventh Century," International Congress of Byzantine Studies, London, August, 2006
"Josef Strzygowski and Armenian Architecture," Koç University, Istanbul, July, 2006.
"Prolegomena to the Study of Armenian Architecture," International Workshop on Armenian Art, Salzburg, April 11th-13th, 2005
"From the Orient to the Arctic: Josef Strzygowski and the Origins of Medieval Art," Leslie Center for the Humanities, Dartmouth College, November 15, 2003.
"An Architecture of Permanence: Early Medieval Churches of Armenia," University of Wisconsin-Madison, March 13, 2003.
"Architecture and the Church in Armenia," McGill University, October, 2002.
"Princely Identity in Medieval Armenian Architecture," Byzantine Studies Workshop, The University of Chicaco, May 29, 2001.
"Borrowing Byzantium: Cultural Appropriation in Medieval Armenia," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Art History, March 26, 2001.
"The Church of Zvart'noc' and Problems of Patronage," Department of Art, DePaul University, April 6, 2001.
"Architecture and Princely Patronage in Medieval Armenia," Department of the History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, November 17, 2000.
"Introduction to Early Christian Art," Department of Art, Louisiana State University, March 23, 2000.
"Byzantium in Italy," Department of Art History, Boston University, April 16, 1999.
"The Origins of the Gothic Style: Problems in Historiography," Department of Art History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, March 3, 1999.
"The Middle Byzantine Renaissance: Luxury Objects, Illuminated Manuscripts, and Decorated Spaces", Department of Art History, Boston University, February 19, 1999.
"Armenia between East and West: Problems of Cross-Cultural Exchange in Late Antiquity," Department of Art, State University of New York at Stony Brook, February 3, 1999. Public Lectures
"Byzantium and Beyond," (Opening Lecture for The Windows of Heaven: Icons and Other Treasures from Byzantium and Beyond), Art History Gallery, UWM, April 30, 2004.
"An Armenian Architect in Byzantium's Court: The Career and Building Practices of Trdat," The Oriental Institute, The University of Chicago, May 14, 2003.
"Architecture and the Church in Armenia," Student Center, University of Texas at Austin, November 15, 2003.
"Between East and West: The Architecture of Early Medieval Armenia," Archaeological Institute of America, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, February 2, 2003.
"Medieval Armenian Manuscripts: The Patron's Wish and the Artist's Eye," St. John's Armenian Church, Southfield, Michigan, November 6, 2001.
"Medieval Armenian Architecture: The Building Boom of the Seventh Century," Church of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Palos Heights, Illinois, June 10, 2001 Exhibitions Curated
The Windows of Heaven: Icons and other Treasures from Byzantium and Beyond, Art History Gallery, UWM, April 30-May 14, 2004
Medieval Armenian Architecture: An Exhibition of Historic Photographs, Art History Gallery, December 4-24, 2004 Conferences and Programs Organized
Organizing Panel, International Workshop on Armenian Art, Salzburg, April 11-13, 2005
Organizer and Chair, "Armenia: Custom, Culture, and Identity", Symposium on the 40th Anniversary of the Society for Armenian Studies, Mitchell Hall, UWM, December 4, 2004.
Founder and Chair, UWM Medieval Studies Group, 2004-present. (Four talks presented thus far by scholars from the Sorbonne, University of Indiana, Marquette, and UWM).
Co-Chair, Session on Medieval Art, Midwest Art History Association Annual Meeting, Milwaukee Art Museum, April 18-20, 2002. Courses Taught since 2001
UW-Milwaukee: Ancient and Medieval Art and Architecture (Lecture/Discussion) Understanding Medieval Art (Graduate Colloquium) The Origins of Medieval Art (U/G Lecture) Romanesque Architecture (U/G Lecture) Medieval Architecture in Context (Graduate Seminar) French Gothic Architecture (U/G Lecture) Islamic Art (U Lecture) Early Medieval Art in the West (U/G Lecture) Byzantium (Graduate Seminar) Proseminar in Art History (Graduate Seminar)
Reading and Research Courses Taught: Mamluk Architecture (Fall 2002) The Historiography of Gothic Architecture (Fall 2002) Islamic Manuscripts of India (Spring 2004) Byzantine Art (Fall 2004)
Courses Approved by Course and Curriculum Committee: Art and Architecture of the Late Middle Ages (U/G Lecture) Islamic Art and Architecture (U/G Lecture) Art and Architecture along the Western Silk Road (U/G Lecture) Art and Civilization of the Middle Ages (U Lecture) The Dome (U/G Lecture) Heretics and Iconoclasts (U/G Lecture) Proseminar in Art History (Graduate Seminar) The Art and Architecture of Byzantium (U/G Lecture (reactivated) 2001, Visiting Chair of Armenian Studies, The University of Chicago Courses: Armenian Art and Architecture (U/G Lecture) Armenian Manuscript Illumination (U Seminar)
2001, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Fall) Course: Armenian Art and Architecture (U/G Lecture)
2000, Adjunct Professor, Boston University (Spring) Course: Byzantine Art (U Lecture)
1999-2000, Visiting Assistant Professor, Suffolk University (Fall-Spring) Courses: Introduction to Art History (U Lecture) Greek and Roman Art (U Lecture) Medieval Art (U Lecture)
1999, Adjunct Professor, Massachusetts College of Art (Spring) Courses: Ancient Art (U Lecture) The Art and Architecture of the Silk Road (U Lecture)
1999, Adjunct Professor, Hellenic College, Brookline, Mass. (Spring) Course: Early Christian and Byzantine Art (U/G Lecture)
1997, Teaching Assistant, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton Course: Medieval Art Professional Service 2005 Dissertation Award Committee, Society for Armenian Studies 2001-4 Member, Executive Committee of the Society for Armenian Studies 2001- Reviewer for Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Journal of the Society of Armenian Studies, Scholar's Press University Service 2005 Committee for Review of University Self-Study 2005 Arts Design Team 2003-4 Black and Gold Committee 2002- Committee for Middle East and North African Studies Department 2002- Graduate Advisor 2003-4 Member, Search Committee for Renaissance/Baroque Position 2003-4 Member, Search Committee for Contemporary Position 2003-4 Second Reader, Master's Thesis, Beth Carlson 2002-present Second Reader, Master's Thesis, Lena Negley 2002 Second Reader, Master's Thesis, Annie Davis 2001-2002 Member, Search Committee for Ancient Position 2001-2002 Member, Search Committee for Contemporary Position 2001-2002 Library Liaison for Art History Department
I am actually Armenian on both sides! My father's last name is Maranjian, but he grew up in Istanbul where it was changed to Maranci. My mother's maiden name is Serjenian.