Anna Blume

Anna Blume is a Professor in the Art History and Museum Professions department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York. Her academic work bridges Mesoamerican art history, Native American studies, and contemporary art activism. Based in the Business and Liberal Arts Center (Room B649), she coordinates the Ethics and Sustainability Minor and teaches courses including HA 114 Prehistoric Art, HA 116 American Indian Art, HA 224 Mesoamerican Art, and HA 397 Studies in Maya Art and Culture.

Her research spans Mesoamerican civilizations (particularly Maya timekeeping and architecture), Native American visual culture (Mississippian monuments and Plains Indian drawings), and art activism (ACT UP political funerals and gender identity). She examines how disaster, colonialism, and ethics manifest in visual representation, with recent work analyzing monumentality in Indigenous North American landscapes and cultural appropriation in fashion.

Blume's publications reveal consistent engagement with interdisciplinary methodologies combining archaeology, anthropology, and art history. Her scholarship demonstrates particular strength in deciphering pre-Columbian epigraphy while connecting historical practices to contemporary issues of identity and representation. The temporal scope of her work—spanning ancient Maya codices to modern protest art—highlights her unique perspective on visual continuity across millennia.

• State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2011-2012)
• Fulbright Fellowship
• American Philosophical Society Grant
• Dumbarton Oaks Grant
• Josef Albers Foundation Grant
• Ford Foundation Grant
• SUNY Research Grant

Professor Blume has secured significant research funding from major institutions including the Ford Foundation and Fulbright program. Her teaching excellence was formally recognized by SUNY, and she actively bridges academic research with public engagement through museum collaborations and editorial contributions to major publications like the New York Times. While not explicitly mentioned as advising graduate students, her extensive publication record and dissertation supervision (evidenced by her Yale PhD and Zoe Leonard interview) suggest mentorship experience.

Her work with the ACT UP Oral History Project and contemporary art exhibitions indicates active participation in activist and curatorial communities. The Archaic Bannerstone Project (2018) represents a digital humanities initiative connecting ancient artifacts with modern interpretation.