American Studies are well represented at Iowa. Students have opportunities to study not only the history of American art, but also a variety of interdisciplinary programs in American history, literature, and politics. The Museum of Art's important collections of American paintings, prints, and photographs supplement these studies. e-mail

Medieval and Renaissance Studies incorporate a broad spectrum of courses in art history, as well as interdisciplinary programs (Medieval Studies Guild; Iowa Renaissance Studies) in history, literature, and religion. In addition, Iowa is a participating member of the Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Iowa students have access to this important research center and may apply for stipends from the Center.

The Project for Advanced Study of Art and Life in Africa is an interdisciplinary program of fellowships, scholarships, conferences, and publications on the visual arts in Africa. Each year three senior and junior fellows visit the University to study the Stanley Collection of African Art to write, and to participate in seminars and classes. Scholarships provided support for tuition, research assistantships, research in Africa, and dissertation writing. Outreach activities include fellowships for African museum professionals to receive training in museum administration, basic research, and collections management. Major international conferences are held every two years; proceedings appear in the biennial Iowa Studies in African Art, published by the School of Art & Art History. The major assets of the program are a large and internationally recognized faculty in African Studies, and the Stanley Collection, the most important university-based collection of African art in the United States. e-mail

The Project for Modern Studies has become one the best known centers of modern art historical research in the United States. Course clusters involving faculty both in the department and across the University provide an integrated program of study. Responsible for symposia, exhibitions and catalogues, as well as nationally and internationally based collaborative research projects, the program offers graduate students outstanding opportunities to work with scholars from a variety of fields.

The Art Library includes more than 83,000 volumes, an outstanding periodical collection, and an extensive microfilm and microfiche archive. The University of Iowa Libraries, which also contain many books and periodicals on art, archaeology, and anthropology, house over three million volumes.

The Collection of Visual Materials numbers some 270,000 slides and 80,000 photographs plus films and video equipment.

The University of Iowa Museum of Art has a significant permanent collection which includes major holdings of contemporary art, African art, European and American prints and photographs, and ancient and contemporary ceramics. The museum offers an extensive program of exhibitions, lectures, and recitals.

Symposia: Iowa graduate students host an annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History. They also participate annually in the Graduate Student Seminar at the Art Institute of Chicago. Additional symposia are sponsored by the School of Art & Art History, the Project for Modern Studies, the Museum of Art, and the Project for Advanced Study of Art and Life in Africa.

Colloquium: The Art History Faculty/Graduate Student Colloquium provides a forum in which faculty research and issues of current concern to the discipline are presented and discussed before the entire body of faculty and graduate students. An integral component of the degree programs in art history, Colloquium allows for discussion of methodological developments relevant to the field of art history as a whole. These sessions facilitate exchanges among faculty and between faculty and graduate students, further enhancing intellectual debate within the art history division.

Distinguished Lecture Series: The Distinguished Lecturer Series allows for visitors of exceptional stature within the discipline of art history to present formal lectures and seminars as well as meet informally with faculty and graduate students over a period of two-to-three days, adding fresh ideas from outside the university to the discussions within the university.