Academic Excellence in Art History History and Art History

Presented to the graduating MA Art History major with the highest cumulative and major G.P.A.

2023 Awardees

Pia Desangles

Pia Desangles

MA Art History

Pia was born in the Dominican Republic, where she studied Systems Engineer. After a career in Information Technology and taking a long hiatus to raise her family, Pia decided to reinvent herself and enrolled in Northern Virginia Community College to study to become a social worker. However, this plan changed when she took her first art history course. Pia decided to follow that path and transferred to George Mason through Mason’s Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) program, a degree completion program for adult learners that allowed her to choose the courses and build her own curriculum. She took art history courses from different periods and cultures and discovered her passion for ancient art, especially after a summer abroad studying ancient Rome. After getting her bachelor’s degree, she joined George Mason’s Art History master’s program. Pia’s areas of interest include Greco-Roman and Indian art, and her latest research revolves around Buddhist art in the context of cave temples and Indian miniature painting. She is currently training to become a docent at the National Museum of Asian Art.

Stephanie Grimm

Stephanie Grimm

MA Art History

Stephanie Grimm is the art and art history librarian for George Mason University Libraries, and a current MA student in the History of Art program. She previously earned a master of science in information (MSI) from the University of Michigan, focused on preservation and art & museum librarianship. She also holds a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Her research interests include 20th century illustration and contemporary artists’ publications, including artists’ books, zines, and comics, and she serves as one of the curators of Mason’s Artists’ Book Collection. She is currently working on a thesis project examining the work of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, a turn-of-the-century American illustrator best known for his (in)famous “Dogs Playing Poker” paintings.

Olivia  Holly-Johnson

Olivia Holly-Johnson

MA Art History

Olivia Holly- Johnson is a graduate student studying Art History. She is from Woodbridge, Virginia and previously attended George Mason University for her undergrad program, also in Art History. Olivia hopes to work in a museum in a curating department. Her primary area of research has been ancient Egyptian art. Within that area, she is interested in the art associated with domestic religious practices.