Emily L. Newman, Ph.D.

Professor of Art History and Coordinator of Global Human Rights Initiative

Emily L. Newman is passionate about art history, visual culture and social justice. She earned her Ph.D. from The Graduate Center at the City University of New York before moving to Commerce. Dr. Newman is currently conducting research for her new book which is a “real passion project” for her. Due to her research and curating projects, she has been interviewed by The New York Times, Marketplace radio, the popular website Jezebel, Business Matters on BBC Radio, the podcast Advanced TV Herstory, among others. When she isn't teaching or writing, Newman spends her time with her terrier mix named Fred.

A Conversation with Dr. Newman

What draws you to art history and liberal studies?

“I am interested in how people respond to the current moment. Hence, I look at contemporary themes in art, popular culture, fashion and more. As much as possible, I incorporate current world events into these themes. For example, we discuss the Obama Administration’s official portraits and their immense popularity, in part, because of the unique and significant black artists they chose to paint them. In Fashion History, we discuss the racist incidents that have happened in the past year from appropriated, stereotypical hairstyles to the absence in the variety of races and sizes represented in runway shows and media. By looking and tying our knowledge to the world around us, I hope to encourage thoughtful citizens of the world who are questioning the status quo, learning from the past and practicing critical thinking.”

Tell us about a project that you are currently working on or recently completed.

“My current book project is Fashioning Politics and Protests: New Visual Cultures of Feminism in the United States, which encompasses all of my research areas and is a real passion project for me. Here, I look at the rise of pantsuits over the 21^st century, the Miss America pageants and race, pussyhats and the rise of craftivism, and the way red dresses have been a touchstone for protests (from everything from The Handmaids Tale to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and Two-Spirits #MMIWG2S). This book looks at the intersections of visual culture and art, popular culture, fashion, and even politics.” As part of an earlier project, Newman brought internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty to campus for a site-specific installation, Deep in the Heart, while working with her Public Art class and many branches of administration on campus. On campus from 2015-1018, the artwork was composed almost entirely of sticks and natural materials and was created with the help of students and the local community. You can find out more about Newman's projects and publications on her website at EmilylNewman.com.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Art History, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 2012
• MPhil, Art History, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 2009
• M.A., Art History, The Pennsylvania State University, 2006
• B.A., Art History and Studio Art, cum laude, Carleton College, 2004

Awards and Honors

• 2022: Faculty Development Grant, Texas A&M University-Commerce awarded to attend The L.M. Montgomery Institute's Fifteenth Biennial International Conference in Prince Edward Island, Canada
• 2021: Faculty Development Leave for research sabbatical, Texas A&M University-Commerce
• 2020: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Grant awarded to support research, writing, and editing of the book project, Burn Your Bras: Feminist Fashion and Art in United States Protests
• 2020: Faculty Development Grant, Texas A&M University-Commerce awarded to attend National Popular Culture Association Conference in Philadelphia, PA, April
• 2018: Faculty Development Grant, Texas A&M University-Commerce awarded to attend National Popular Culture Association Conference in Indianapolis, IN, March.
• 2016: Faculty Development Grant, Texas A&M University-Commerce awarded to attend Popular Culture Association of the South/American Culture Association of the South Conference in Nashville, TN, October.
• 2016: Faculty Development Grant, Texas A&M University-Commerce awarded to attend Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association Conference in Seattle, WA, March.
• 2015: Junior Faculty Research Award, Texas A&M University-Commerce award given for “outstanding research consisting of a systematic study directed toward fuller scientific knowledge or understanding of the subject studied. Awards are given for innovative research and each award consists of a $1,000 cash prize and a plaque.”
• 2015: NEH Summer Institute Fellowship: Buddhist Asia: Traditions, Transmissions and Transformations, hosted by the Asian Studies Development Program at the University of Hawai'I at Manoa, May-June
• 2015: Faculty Senate Award, Texas A&M University-Commerce, “Fearless Investigation” in Research, 2015.

Research Interests

• Fashion
• Television Studies

Professional Organizations

• College Art Association
• American Association of Museums
• Popular Culture Association
• American Culture Association
• International Council of Museums

Selected Publications

• Fashioning Politics and Protests: New Visual Cultures of Feminism in the United States, Palgrave Macmillan (2023).
• The Food Network Recipe: Essays on Cooking, Celebrity and Competition, Co-editor with Emily Witsell, McFarland Press, 2021.
• Female Body Image in Contemporary Art: Dieting, Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, and Fatness, Routledge, 2018 (hardcover) and 2020 (paperback).
• The Hallmark Channel: Essays on Faith, Race and Feminism, with Emily Witsell, McFarland Press, 2020.
• ABC Family to Freeform TV: Essays on the Millennial-Focused Network and its Programs. Co-editor with Emily Witsell, McFarland Press, 2018.
• The Lifetime Network: Essays on “Television for Women” in the 21^st Century. Co-editor with Emily Witsell, McFarland Press, 2016.
• Deep in the Heart: Patrick Dougherty, Contributor and Editor, on occasion of the 2015 installation project at Texas A&M University-Commerce, (Commerce, TX: Texas A&M University – Commerce, 2015).
• Invited Chapter, “Art and Beauty,” in A Cultural History of Beauty: Modern Age, edited By Paul R. Deslandes (London: Bloomsbury, Forthcoming 2021-2).
• “Fashionable Flesh: Meat as Clothing,” Fashion, Style & Popular Culture 4, no. 1 (January 2017): 105-120.
• “From That Girl to Girls: Rethinking Ann Marie/Marlo Thomas as a Feminist Icon” The Journal of American Culture 39, no. 3 (September 2016): 285-297.
• “Illustrating Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice,” in Journal of Illustration, 1, no 2 (October 2014): 233-256.
• “‘It's Not Okay”: FX's Starved and Eating Disorders as Entertainment” in The Communication Review, special issue on Alternative Visions in Media edited by Kylo-Patrick Hart, 7, no 2 (2014): 233-244.