Gabriela Chitwood

Degree: PhD, History of Art and Architecture, Graduate Certificate in New Media and Culture

Expected Graduation Date: 2024

Prior Degree
BA in Art History, University of California, Los Angeles

2021-2022 Scholarship
Alice Wingwall Travel Award in Art History

I Am Originally From Long Beach, CA

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I was drawn to the University of Oregon’s History of Art and Architecture department by the faculty, whose interests and research approaches mirrored what I was interested in.

The College of Design’s broad emphasis and reputation for architecture was an additional bonus.

I have a lifelong interest in architecture. Exposure to medieval architecture through undergraduate coursework and travel made gothic architecture a deep-seated interest that I could not walk away from. Experiences teaching and mentoring students cemented my desire to pass on my passion for gothic architecture to other students.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
As an undergraduate, I worked with faculty to build digital models of lost thirteenth-century Parisian architecture. I also worked at the Getty and Folwer museum art conservation labs caring for objects and documenting their condition.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
The constant advice and support from my PhD advisor, Dr. Maile Hutterer, Associate Professor of Art History, has been essential in my development as an academic and scholar. She has carefully guided my learning and has encouraged my interest in gothic architecture. I am grateful to her for her thoughtful mentorship.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am the PhD chair of the Art History Student Association. This group has provided me a strong community with other graduate students. This community has been crucial in caring for my own mental health these past couple of years.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
Professor Hutterer has organized a reading circle for her graduate students. We meet regularly to read and discuss recently published research. This has proven to be a great center for community and learning.

AFTER GRADUATION
I aspire to get a post-doc position followed by a tenure-track teaching and research position at a research university.

YOUR GIFT
This scholarship allows me to travel and see the architecture I am considering taking up in my dissertation. My work takes up studying architecture holistically, where the people using the space are essential in how the building functions. By seeing these buildings in person, I will be able to go into my dissertation with specific knowledge and understanding of the sites.

Thank you for your generous donation. I am grateful for the opportunity to do essential travel that will allow me to complete my dissertation. Your support is critical to my ability to do this work. Thank you!