John Ott is Awarded Paul Mellon Senior Fellowship for Mixed Media: The Visual Cultures of Racial Integration, 1931-1954

John Ott, professor of art history, is currently serving a two-month Paul Mellon Senior Fellowship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Awarded by the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA), Professor Ott was selected for this honor to develop his book – Mixed Media: The Visual Cultures of Racial Integration, 1931-54 . A press release from the National Gallery of Art stated, “This project investigates black and white artists’ efforts towards racial integration, both in terms of imagery and within cultural institutions, from the infamous 1931 Scottsboro Boys trial until Brown v. Board’s 1954 desegregation of public schools.” Research & Scholarship reached out to Professor Ott in late May for an update on his fellowship, and Ott commented that he is conducting research at the Archives of American Art, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives on New Deal murals from across the country that feature integration—including one in downtown Harrisonburg. Joining Ott as Visiting Senior Fellows are faculty and researchers from Columbia University, Duke University, Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, University of Chicago, and the University of Oxford