Rashmi Viswanathan, assistant professor of art history at the Hartford Art School, has been awarded this year's Belle K. Ribicoff Junior Faculty Prize. It is awarded annually to recognize an outstanding junior faculty member in a tenure-track position who demonstrates combined excellence in teaching, scholarly or creative activity, and service
Viswanathan is an expert in South Asian art and transnational modernism, focusing on the mechanisms and politics of global cross-cultural exchange. Since joining UHart in 2019, she has skillfully and effectively combined international travel for research and archival work with full engagement with her students on campus. Viswanathan is also actively involved in developing new courses and learning opportunities. Students have noted her ability to persuasively describe the connections between art and history and to teach them how to think critically.
“Rashmi’s contributions to her field of study, her responsive pedagogies, and her dedication to her students’ growth and success, along with her involvement in campus life and University service, exemplify the excellence and dedication this prize aims to recognize,” says Alexandra Onuf, professor and chair of art history.
A semester does not go by without Viswanathan being vigorously engaged in a handful of projects for which she receives praise from colleagues and students alike. This includes roles as a guest curator at institutions such as Kunsthalle Exnergasse in Vienna and 12 Gates in Philadelphia, as well as fellowships at the North Star Collective and the National Portrait Gallery.
With a PhD in art history from New York University and a master’s degree from Hunter College, Viswanathan hit the ground running professionally the moment her formal education ended. It has been a nonstop pursuit of art history elucidations and exposés ever since—not just for her students but for the art-loving world at large. In fact, Viswanathan is currently completing a book titled Ambassadors of Art: State and Culture Across Borders, and her previously published works include numerous articles in top academic periodicals. She is proficient in six languages, including Tamil, Urdu, and Persian.