Art Historian
“Scripps College has made me all the more appreciative of openness and challenge; qualities that I view as essential cornerstones in education. When focusing on Art History and French at Scripps, my desire to learn in a humanistic, interdisciplinary fashion was taken far and beyond my initial realizations. From the beginning, students learn that no subject stands alone, and I truly believe that this weaving of ideas greatly influences a well-rounded and introspective mind. Moreover, the art faculty at Scripps has increased my desire to think outside of the box by providing an intensive array of coursework and dialogue. The faculty has also being a monumental support system throughout my higher studies. For this I give my greatest gratitude.”
Abby has always taken great interest in interlinking the arts and sciences. At Scripps, Abby predominately focused on architectural history and wrote her thesis on the prototype housing and urban planning projects of Le Corbusier and Hassan Fathy. Upon graduation in 2001, Abby received a Fulbright Scholarship to study bamboo housing in India.
After returning to the United States, she began working as a curatorial assistant at The Gilgore Collection, a museum specializing in late 19th century Italian art located in Naples, Florida. In June 2004, with the generous support of a scholarship scholarship provided by the Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Foundation, Abby was one of a series of Scripps alumnae to complete a M.A. program in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, England. Here she focussed on Post -WWII Art under the tutelage of Mignon Nixon, and wrote her dissertation on the experimental and indeterminate compositions of John Cage, Earle Brown and La Monte Young.
Abby relocated to Philadelphia shortly thereafter to begin a post-baccalaureate, pre-health program at the University of Pennsylvania. She will be applying to medical school this summer. In addition to her own academics, Abby works with autistic children in behavioral support at public elementary schools. She also continues to curate, and specifically enjoys working with local artists and assisting the Esther Klein Gallery at the University of the Sciences with their broad interdisciplinary and community ‘artreach’ programs.