Art and Art History Department

The Department of Art and Art History at Washington and Lee University, located in Wilson Hall, offers courses in studio art and the history of art. Its program of study includes majors in each of these areas, and a recent surge of student interest has propelled the department into a place among the ten most heavily subscribed academic units in the College.

In the Department of Art and Art History, we are committed to the inclusive and productive learning of every student who studies and creates with us. As faculty and staff, we recognize and value the diverse backgrounds of our students and we embrace the differences in our educational community. We are passionate to bring the demands of social and environmental justice to bear in our curriculum and our department as a whole. We are invested in producing learning environments that equitably engage and support a complex diversity of students, and we seek to attract their divergent interests to our department.

Christa Bowden’s Artwork Earns an Honorable Mention Citation at the SlowExposures Photography Festival

The professor of art was one of 47 photographers to display her work in the event’s main exhibit.

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Elliott King

Elliott King Featured in AMC+ Series ‘True Crime Story: Smugshot’

The professor of art was interviewed for an episode titled “The Dali Heist.”

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W&L Presents Screening of Craig Quintero’s Expanded Reality Films

The films will be screened Sept. 25-26 in the IQ Center, followed by an artist’s talk.

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Andrea Lepage

Art History Professor Authors Book Chapter

Andrea Lepage examines how academic galleries can serve as transformative learning spaces.

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Elliott King

Elliott King to Deliver Lecture at the Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts

The professor of art history will host a talk that reconsiders artist Frida Kahlo’s relationship with surrealism.

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Andrea Lepage

Art History Professor Named to Editorial Board for Digital Publishing Initiative

Andrea Lepage will assist in developing a series of essays focused on Latinx artists.

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Remarkable Women

At the 2025 undergraduate Commencement, Barbara Jenkins ’92L, Kate Jenkins Howard ’99 and Kylie Therrien ’25 became the first female triple generation legacy at Washington and Lee University.

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W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents ‘Hugo Crosthwaite: Tijuacolor’

The exhibition will feature a live mural performance from April 28 to May 10, with an artist’s talk slated for May 12.

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Sandy de Lissovoy is the Next Speaker in the Anne and Edgar Basse Jr. Author Talk Series

De Lissovoy will deliver a lecture on “Unpacking an Art Exhibit and Thinking Like Collage” on Jan. 27.

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Florence As It Was Chosen for National Competition

The interdisciplinary research project has been selected to participate in an open competition among medieval digital humanities projects for K-12 students.

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Musician and Scholar Tammy Kernodle to Deliver Lecture at W&L

Kernodle’s Nov. 15 lecture is supported by W&L’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

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Elliott King

Elliott King Presents Paper at Conference at The Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice

The W&L professor of art history attends conference exploring and celebrating Surrealism in Italy.

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