AVC Alumni and Students Advance to Graduate Programs Across the Country
The Department of Art celebrates a series of recent graduate school acceptances that highlight the breadth of interdisciplinary inquiry and academic achievement among the Art & Visual Culture program’s students and alumni.
Alumnus and current instructor Joel Crothers has been accepted into the Ph.D. program in the Department of Integrative Biology at University of California, Berkeley. Crothers completed his BA in Art and Visual Culture with a concentration in Art History in December 2022, alongside minors in Anthropology and Geology. His Honors thesis was developed under the supervision of Dr. Erin Peters and Dr. Andrew Heckert from the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
Following his undergraduate studies, Crothers earned an MA from University of Colorado Boulder through the Museum & Field Studies program, where he pursued a dual track in public administration and paleontology collections. During this time, he also served as a paleo intern at Makoshika State Park. He has since returned to Boone, where he teaches multiple sections of ARH 2030: Global Art from Prehistory to 1400. His academic path reflects the department’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary exploration across the arts and sciences.
Recent graduate Anna Mae Black, who completed her degree in December 2025 with a major in Sustainable Development and a minor in Art History, has been accepted into the MFA Studio Art program at Western Carolina University. Her work bridges environmental and artistic practice, exemplified by her piece As We Decay 3 (2025).
Hannah Gowan, who will graduate in May 2026 with a major in Art and Visual Culture (Art History concentration) and a minor in History, has been accepted into the master’s program in Public History at Appalachian State University.
Together, these accomplishments underscore the diverse academic and professional trajectories supported by the Department of Art, where students are encouraged to connect creative practice with broader cultural, scientific, and historical frameworks.
