Veronica Markey graduated from the University of Washington with a Master of Arts in Art History this spring. During her time in the program, she pursued research at the intersection of art, books, material culture, and ecology, while also earning a Graduate Certificate in Textual and Digital Studies.
In the reflection below, Markey looks back on what drew her to the program, how her interests developed into a thesis project, and the experiences that shaped her graduate education.
After my undergraduate studies and some time working on my own artistic pursuits, I knew that I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of art history. I was initially drawn to the University of Washington's Art History Master's program by a desire to study art and artists in Seattle, a city that was already very dear to me and that I have grown even more appreciative of during my time as a student here.
The University's vast collection of artists' books was also a motivator. Several months before I applied, I visited Special Collections and was blown away by the diversity and quality of the materials there. I was inspired not only to apply to the School of Art + Art History + Design, but also to pursue a Textual and Digital Studies Graduate Certificate, thus charting an academic path that incorporated my love for fine art, books, print, and material culture.
Over the next year, these interests naturally evolved into my thesis research, which concerns the scrapbooks of amateur naturalists in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I'm deeply grateful to my advisor, Juliet Sperling, and all the other faculty and staff who guided me in finding my own art historical niche.
My research pulls together so many topics I care about: art, ecology, books, and people's intrinsic inclination to investigate the natural world around them—something that I believe binds people together across time. I felt this curiosity not only in the lives of the historical individuals whom I write about in my thesis, but also in the community in the school itself.
I also enjoyed the opportunity to work at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery in my second year as the Graduate Research Assistant, which put me in touch with the School's institutional history and allowed me to get involved with more of the creative work taking place in the building. I had the honor of working with indira allegra, the 2026 Jacob Lawrence Legacy Resident artist, on The Book of Zero, a project which for me embodied a spirit of learning and experimentation that I will carry with me as I pursue my future creative and research endeavors.
To read Markey's thesis, click here.