Audrey Florey, a doctoral candidate in the School of Visual Studies, has been selected for the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s (SAAM) Toward Equity in Publishing program. During her involvement in the program provided by the American Art journal, Florey will discover the intricacies of the scholarly publication process while revising a manuscript for submission.  

SAAM’s professional development and mentorship program offers early-career art historians critical support, including expert editing, writing, and publishing advice. The program is part of SAAM’s equity and diversity initiative to increase publication acceptance rates. Florey’s application featured an essay from her dissertation, focusing on American art at the turn of the twentieth century, specifically on women’s use of interdisciplinary arts practices that are socially engaged.

“Many American women artists utilized art education as a professional artistic avenue while influencing and diversifying the modern American art canon,” says Florey, a former public high school art teacher who received a Master of Arts degree in art history and archaeology from Mizzou in 2020. “My research explores the work of three women artist-educators (those who practice art and teach it) from racially, ethnically, and artistically disparate backgrounds.” 

Florey also received the 2023 Rose Research and Travel Fellowship from Emory University. With this opportunity, she explored the university’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library for insight into Samella S. Lewis, an African American artist and art historian.