Photo courtesy of Ana Girard, SMU doctoral research student
Photo courtesy of Sarah Russell, SMU doctoral research student
Photo courtesy of Jackie Edwards, SMU doctoral research student
This summer, the Custard Institute sent seven doctoral students to Spain with travel grants to support their research into various aspects of Spanish arts and culture. Each recipient got the chance to do in-person research for their dissertation topics, a remarkable experience.
From femininity in early modern Spain to El Greco’s saint paintings, each dissertation was supported by sites and artworks only found in Spain. Our travel awardees went to six different cities and countless historical and research sites. They visited museums, archives, religious sites, cathedrals, and even traced the footsteps of St. Teresa of Ávila. Our grant recipients were invited to look through archives with directors and curators within their research field, providing them access to works and documents they would not be able to study in North America and pushing their research forward with a new level of knowledge.
“Living in close proximity to my historical sources in archives at the Biblioteca Nacional, the Complutense, and to my visual materials has generated the ideal environment for making progress in my writing,” says Sarah Russel, whose dissertation is on “The Art of Undeception in Early Modern Spain.”
The Custard Travel Grants provide access to and improves the quality of student research while broadening academic horizons. New collaboration, networks, and collections adds to the quality of research for an entire field.
“Thanks to the Custard Institute’s generosity, and everything I learned on this trip, there is no doubt my dissertation will be an important contribution to the field,” said Jackie Edwards, currently doing research for “Painting Saints and Men: Art and Dress in El Greco’s Toledo, 1577–1614.”
Written by Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture Communications Intern Isabel Simpson
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