Bettina Bergmann, newly tenured assistant professor of art

Bergmann Joins Tenured Faculty

Bettina Bergmann, assistant professor of art history, greets visitors to her office overlooking the 1904 Garden with a welcoming smile. Bergmann, who has taught at the College since 1985, is one of six faculty members recently awarded tenure.

Although Bergmann spent several years at Harvard University as a visiting professor, she has always identified Mount Holyoke as home. She appreciates the special qualities of the College. "The size of this school is very conducive to teaching," says Bergmann, who praises the smaller classes and the interdisciplinary courses offered on campus. She also values the structure of the art department and stresses the importance of having studio artists, art historians, and the art museum under one roof in the Art Building. "The constant interaction between the three segments of the department leads to all sorts of collaborations," adds Bergmann. "We rarely get that opportunity anywhere else."

Bergmann teaches a variety of period and thematic courses, which currently include Hellenistic art; an introductory seminar on Venus, the goddess; and an advanced seminar on life and art in ancient Rome. Bergmann prefers teaching thematic courses and is excited about the department's recent decision to increase the number of thematic courses offered to students. She believes that more students--both majors and nonmajors--are interested in these courses. For example, Gods and Mortals in Ancient Art, a course that she taught in the fall, attracted a lot of students from other disciplines.

When approached about receiving tenure, Bergmann is shy to react. "Everything is sinking in very slowly," she says. Bergmann welcomes the opportunity to be able to focus on long-term projects; develop new directions in teaching; begin new collaborations with colleagues; and plan for an exhibition, entitled "The Year One," scheduled to open in 2001.

Bergmann's research focuses on reconstruction of ancient art. During excavation of ancient Roman sites, archeologists removed precious objects and paintings and gave them to museums. Bergmann imagines how these pieces might be reinserted into their original contexts. Since she cannot reconstruct such contexts physically, she represents them with models, drawings, and computer simulations. One model of a Roman house is on view at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.