Carla Yanni

Carla Yanni is a Professor of Art History at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, within the School of Arts and Sciences. She serves as the Director of Architectural Studies and Chair of the Department of Art History. Her research focuses on the social history of architecture from the 18th century to the present, particularly in the United States and Britain.

Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania (1994) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University (1987). She was mentored by prominent scholars Joseph Siry and David Brownlee, and her work has been supported by prestigious fellowships from the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts and the Graham Foundation.

Carla Yanni's research explores how architecture reflects and constructs social values. Her work spans building types such as dormitories, insane asylums, and natural history museums. She investigates how these structures embody ideologies related to education, mental health, science, gender, race, and citizenship. Her methodological approach bridges vernacular architecture and canonical works, emphasizing societal meanings over individual architects.

The trends in her publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of architecture with social and intellectual history. Her articles examine how buildings function as instruments of knowledge, power, and cultural negotiation, particularly in Victorian Britain and 19th-century America. She frequently analyzes museum display, psychiatric institutions, and educational architecture as sites of ideological contestation.

• Founders' Award from the Society of Architectural Historians (1996)
• Graham Foundation Subvention Grant
• Senior Fellowship at CASVA, National Gallery of Art (2002–2003)
• Selected as 'Book of Critical Interest' by Critical Inquiry (2007)

Carla Yanni has directed major research initiatives, including co-leading the SSRC Dissertation Proposal Development Workshop 'The Spaces of Inquiry,' which fostered interdisciplinary scholarship on architecture and science. She has not explicitly mentioned grants beyond fellowship support, but her work has been institutionally and foundationally recognized. She mentors graduate students and teaches a wide range of courses on architectural history, though specific advisees are not listed. Her leadership roles include directing architectural studies and chairing her department.

While no formal lab or research center is named, her collaborative work with historians of science and participation in workshops like 'The Spaces of Inquiry' suggest she leads or contributes to interdisciplinary research teams. Her office is located at 60 College Avenue, Rutgers, where she holds regular office hours and supervises academic programs in art and architectural history.