Presented to the graduating MA Art History major with the highest cumulative and major G.P.A.
A Virginia native, Julia Wheeler took her first art history class as an elective at Northern Virginia Community College. Though at first she was just looking for an elective that would fit her schedule, she immediately developed a great love for the subject. Since then, she has decided to pursue a master’s degree in art history at George Mason University. Though she enjoys learning about all periods of art, she has a special interest in Renaissance works. After graduating this fall, she hopes to work in a museum or gallery.
After spending over 20 years working in defense contracting, Laura joined George Mason University in 2015 as an art history major. In 2016 she completed study abroad programs in Florence and Rome. Laura received a bachelor of arts degree in art history in 2018 and will complete her master of arts degree in art history in spring 2022. Laura participated in curating the GMU Plaster Cast Collection under the supervision of Dr. Chris Gregg. This involved cataloguing objects; creating labels; planning cast placement in Horizon Hall; and researching and writing an essay published in the GMU Exhibition Catalog. Laura has had an internship with the Medici Archive Project (MAP) in Florence, Italy since 2020. She is currently assisting with an exhibition on the Florentine Ghetto, which was established by Cosimo I de’ Medici in the late sixteenth century. The exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Uffizi in 2023. Laura looks forward to continued involvement with MAP in the future, and is considering pursuing post-graduate work. Her main areas of interest are Ancient Rome and Pompeii; Counter-Reformation art; and Medieval and Renaissance women manuscript illuminators.