Fran Altvater

Education

PhD, Boston University

MA, Boston University

BA, Swarthmore College

Note: This faculty member will be on sabbatical for Spring 2026. During a sabbatical, faculty may not be available to support students or conduct other University business.

Fran Altvater is an associate professor of art history. She teaches Introduction to Fine Arts I, II, and III. She has also taught medieval art and architecture, art of the Silk Road, as well as classes in museum studies.

"Hillyer students often start unsure and blossom during their time with us," says Altvater. "I really like seeing what happens when the complicated combinations of time management, skill building and support, and curiosity come together for a student. I really appreciate seeing them feel accomplished at the end of a class, a semester, or a degree program."
Altvater's research interests include:

• Medieval art and architecture
• Medieval theology
• Museum studies
• Issues in collegiate teaching

Selected publications:

“Lessons From COVID About Managing Change”, Inside Higher Ed, July 22, 2021. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/07/22/academic-administrator-shares-lessons-managing-change-during-covid-opinion

“Apostles Fonts: Familiar Forms of Authority, Witness, and Production”, Bildmedien der Taufe: im Spannungsfeld von Ort, Ritual und Gemeinschaft (Images of Baptism: in tension between place, ritual, and culture), University of Cologne, February 11-14, 2020. Accepted for inclusion in Edited conference proceedings volume, Arthistoricum Art-Books. Forthcoming 2025.

Incarnation, Initiation, Institution: Sacramental Theology and the Decoration of Baptismal Fonts. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.

“Words on the Wadsworth: Podcasting and the Teaching of Art History”. Journal of Effective Teaching, Vol. 9/3, October 2009