Elizabeth A. Newsome

Elizabeth A. Newsome is an Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of California San Diego. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Precolumbian and Native American Art. Her research focuses on Mesoamerican civilizations, particularly the Classic Maya (2nd-10th centuries CE), analyzing architecture, sculpture, and hieroglyphics through interdisciplinary lenses.

• Educations: M.A. & Ph.D. (Art History) University of Texas at Austin

Her work bridges art history with philosophy, linguistics, and social sciences, applying structuralist and semiotic theories to non-Western art. She has conducted field research in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, emphasizing iconological interpretation and cultural context. Major publications include Trees of Paradise (2001) and upcoming works on Maya fire rituals and stela symbolism.

• Awards: Dumbarton Oaks Fellowship (1995), Hellman Foundation Award, NEH Grant

Newsome's research includes presentations at international conferences such as the International Congress of Americanists and the College Art Association. She has also contributed to public lectures at institutions like UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Current projects explore Maya mythology and the ideological functions of stelae as power symbols.