Moderators
Moderators
Following tradition, the moderators of the SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History Symposium are the executive board of the College’s Art History Association (AHA). This long-standing student organization is comprised of students from any discipline who meet regularly to discuss art and art history. Throughout the academic year, AHA also sponsors public lectures given by expert art historians, conservators, curators, legal experts, and more, and these events are organized around an annual theme selected by the club’s members. This year’s topic, Saving Art: Conservation, Ethics, and Activism, was the inspiration for the Symposium’s inaugural keynote address by Dr. Renée Ater. The Symposium was the brainstorm of AHA’s co-presidents, Jonathan Birns and Liz Dragan, who piloted the first event in 2019. This year, AHA’s executive board – Brooke, Mya, Maddy, and Shay – is pleased to welcome their first guest moderator from the Fashion Institute of Technology, John Paul Jang.
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Mya Bailey ’23
Treasurer, Art History Association
Mya is new to the Symposium this year! She is a junior at SUNY New Paltz majoring in Art History with a minor in History. She is the current Treasurer of the Art History Association. Mya has interned with the Programming and Interpretation department at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz and has worked in the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art as a Gallery Assistant and Dorsky Student Ambassador. She is very interested in Museum Studies and likes spending her time reading up on diverse contemporary artists and museum activism.
Brooke Cammann ’23
President, Art History Association
Brooke is a junior at SUNY New Paltz double-majoring in Art History and Chemistry who is very interested in art conservation. She also serves as president of the Art History Association. When Brooke is not in the chemistry lab or writing papers for Art History courses, she works as a Resident Assistant and teaches cycle classes at the campus’ Athletic and Wellness Center. This is her second year moderating the SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History Symposium, and she looks forward to what this year’s speakers will share!
Madelyn Colonna ’24
Event Coordinator, Art History Association
Maddy, a sophomore double-majoring in Anthropology and Art History at SUNY New Paltz, is the Event Coordinator for the Art History Association. Her love for art was inspired by frequent visits to The Metropolitan Museum of Art when she was younger and her own experiences as an artist. Although she appreciates all types of visual culture, she has a special place in her heart for Medieval art and architecture. She wishes everyone the best of luck at the 2022 SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History Symposium!
John Paul Jang ’22 FIT
Founder/treasurer of the Art History and Museum Professions Association at The Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC
John Paul Jang received a summa cum laude A.A.S. Fine Arts degree and is now pursuing a B.S. in Art History and Museum Professions at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She serves as the Student Senator for the Art History and Museum Professions department, the Student Chair of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences DEI Committee, and the founder/treasurer of the Art History and Museum Professions Association. Her specialties in art history include pre-war modernism, post-war modernism, and the art market in the mid-20th century.
Shay Steuart ’23
Secretary, Art History Association
Shay is a junior at SUNY New Paltz majoring in Art History and Art Education and minoring in Evolutionary Studies and Social Justice Educational Studies. She is a visual artist primarily working with oil and acrylic painter. Shay is the secretary of the Art History Association. This is her second year moderating the SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History Symposium, and she is very excited to hear everyone’s talks.
