Rhiannon Vogl is a writer, curator, and PhD candidate in Art History who has published widely. Rhiannon was a Northrop Frye Centre Doctoral Fellow in 2023-24. From 2007–2018, Rhiannon worked at the National Gallery of Canada where she advanced from intern to Curatorial Assistant to Associate Curator in the Department of Contemporary Art. Her fellowship research project is titled re: Lucy Lippard. Rhiannon is one of our 2024-25 Chancellor Jackman Graduate Fellows.
What are your main research interests and what excites you most about them?
Currently, I have two main research interests: artist-initiated publishing practices that are connected to the Conceptual Art movement in the 1960s and 1970s; and the relationships between Conceptual Art, New Age practices and the rise of digital communication technologies during the same period. I am interested in artists’ communication networks and the transmission of artistic ideas during a period when artists were striving towards dematerialization.
What project are you working on at the JHI and why did you choose it?
During my fellowship at the JHI, I have been working towards finishing my PhD dissertation on art critic Lucy Lippard’s novel I See / You Mean and the underground publishing and distribution systems it has circulated within. I See / You Mean is a densely packed book - an experimental collage – that is intimately tied to Lippard’s experiences within the New York art world in the 1960s and 1970s, the rising feminist movement, and her desire to (re)imagine her relationship to both. It has developed a cult status, especially amongst those of us who study the histories of Conceptual Art and second wave feminism. I first encountered it during my PhD coursework and quickly became obsessed with it. While researching the content of the novel, I uncovered a rich history of its context – about how it was written, who published it, and the networks of artists and writers involved in this process. By attending to the writing, publication, and circulation of I See/You Mean, my research both examines the role that fiction writing played within this art critic’s career and demonstrates the vital - yet understudied - influence Lippard has had on alternative artist-initiated publishing practices.
How has your JHI Fellowship experience been so far?
One of the most enjoyable parts of my JHI Fellowship experience – of which there have been many – are the ways I have been exposed to, and found amazing synergies with, the other Fellows in our cohort. I have loved being in community with such a diverse group of scholars, learning about their varying methodologies and research interests, and finding surprising and helpful crossovers in so much of our work. I have felt incredibly supported by all members of the JHI team and have found this year immensely rewarding.
Why do you believe the humanities are important?
The humanities are the study of human expression and experience. They teach us about who we are, who we have been, and challenge us to imagine what can come next. The humanities also foster empathy. They encourage us to understand others as much as ourselves and to embrace the spectrum of difference within those human expressions and experiences. Empathy is needed today more than ever.
Can you share something you read/watched/listened to recently that you enjoyed/were inspired by?
I recently read I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel and found it very provocative. I also don’t miss a week of Jessica Lanyadoo’s Ghost of a Podcast.
What is a fun fact about you?
I am an avid long-distance runner and have completed eight marathons (including Boston) and close to twenty half marathons.