BA, Princeton University. MA, PhD, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Fowlkes Childs is a specialist in Roman art, archaeology, and religions. She is currently adjunct professor at Columbia University and at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and curator of the 2023 exhibition, “Stories of Syria‘s Textiles: Art and Heritage Across Two Millennia,” at the Katonah Museum of Art. Her current book project is on Syrian and Phoenician sanctuaries in Rome; support for her research includes a 2019-2020 fellowship at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where she was also guest curator of the 2022 exhibition, “Photographs From Dura-Europos: 1922-2022 and Onward.” At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she was co-curator of the award-winning 2019 exhibition, “The World Between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East,” and co-author of the catalogue. SLC 2023–
Undergraduate Courses 2023-2024
Art History
Becoming Roman? Art and Architecture of the Provinces and Frontiers of the Roman Empire
Open, Seminar—Spring
This course focuses on works of art, buildings, and monuments created and commissioned by people living in diverse areas of North Africa, West Asia, and Europe that either became part of the Roman Empire or were located along its vast frontier. We will explore and challenge traditional categories, such as “Roman” and “provincial” art/architecture. Key questions to consider include the following: How were individuals’/communities’ personal, civic, and religious identities expressed in art/architecture that was influenced by interaction with Roman culture broadly but also highly localized? The course will also include a component focused on the contemporary situation at sites including Palmyra in Syria, which has suffered extensive recent destruction, and related heritage preservation initiatives.