Austin Peay professor picked as visiting artist scholar at American Academy in Rome
(Published Feb. 28, 2020)
An Austin Peay State University art history professor is spending part of the spring semester as a visiting artist scholar at the American Academy in Rome.
While in Rome, Dr. Tamara Smithers will conduct research at the Arthur and Janet C. Ross Library, which contains 167,000 volumes on classical studies and art, for her upcoming book The Cults of Raphael and Michelangelo: Memorials for Artists as a Second Life. She鈥檒l be at the academy through March 7.
鈥淭he best part about staying at the American Academy in Rome, aside from the wonderful community of artists and scholars, is 24-hour access to the library!鈥 she said.
Smithers鈥 four-week trip comes during a special anniversary.
鈥2020 is 鈥楾he Year of Raphael,鈥 the 500th anniversary of the artist鈥檚 death in Rome,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l attend the largest Raphael exhibition to date at the Scuderie del Quirinale, which opens March 6.鈥
During the Visiting Artist and Scholars Program, Smithers will traverse central Italy, photographing monuments in Rome and artist tombs in Florence, Venice and Mantua for her book.
鈥淚 am very excited to have an appointment to enter the burial chapel of the Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna at Sant鈥 Andrea in Mantua,鈥 Smithers said.
鈥楥ult of the artist鈥
Smithers鈥 book will explore 鈥渢he phenomenon of the 鈥榗ult of the artist鈥 in relation to the death, burial and posthumous fame 鈥 or second life 鈥 of both Raphael and Michelangelo from their own times through the 19th century.
The book 鈥渨eaves together otherwise disparate sources鈥 to reveal a better understanding of artist camaraderie at that time in central Italy, Smithers added.
鈥淗onoring the artist through burial rites and the creation of memorials was the principal way to publicly pay tribute to those in the trade,鈥 she said.
Establishing ties to Raphael and Michelangelo was essential for establishing an artistic pedigree, Smithers said.
鈥淭he cult-like immortalization of both Raphael and Michelangelo can be defined by the affective nature that each deceased artist had on those touched by the potency of the physical presence of his body or work 鈥 or even touched by the power of creative legacy 鈥 from their own lifetimes to today.鈥
Smithers鈥 book follows her work as editor and contributor to Michelangelo in the New Millennium: Conversations About Artistic Practice, Patronage and Christianity in 2016.
鈥淚 am grateful to APSU for providing a semester of research assignment to conduct research and photography for my book,鈥 Smithers said.
Bringing her work to students, scholars
Smithers will chair the session 鈥淩aphael and Women鈥 at April鈥檚 Renaissance Society of America Conference in Philadelphia, one of five sessions on 鈥淩econsidering Raphael.鈥 In the fall, she will return to Rome to give a paper titled 鈥淩aphael鈥檚 Fame: 1520鈥2020鈥 at the Early Modern Rome 4 conference.
On April 15, Benna Books/Applewood Books will release her geared toward anyone interested in art and culture, young adults and museum goers. The book is available for preorder from Barnes & Noble and Target.
And this fall, she鈥檒l integrate what she鈥檚 learned into the course curriculum of her History of Italian Renaissance Art class.
Smithers also leads an Austin Peay study abroad trip called 鈥淎rt in Rome鈥 every two years. Students travel to Rome and earn six credit hours in art history and studio art. The trip will be offered in May/June 2021.
鈥淩ome is a walking museum with thousands of years of layered history, which is why I love bringing my students here to experience it,鈥 she said.
To learn more
- For more about Austin Peay鈥檚 Department of Art + Design, visit .
- For more about Smithers, go to .
- For more about the Visiting Artists and Scholars Program, visit .
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