Taryn Ely

Taryn Ely is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Studio Art at Grinnell College. Her work bridges cinema studies, disability studies, and social history, focusing on how moving-image art reflects political and cultural debates.

• Education: Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Studies (University of Rochester, 2024), M.A. in Visual and Cultural Studies (University of Rochester, 2021), B.A. in Comparative Cultural Studies (The Ohio State University, 2016)

Her research examines films tied to the deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals in the U.S., analyzing intersections of neurodivergence, psychotherapy, and disability rights movements. Current projects include archival studies at institutions like the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology and the Harvard Film Archive.

Key Trends: Focus on disability representation in cinema, historical psychology in film, and spectatorship dynamics. She combines theoretical analysis with hands-on film programming and installation in her pedagogy.

• Scientific Awards: 2022-2023 Luce/ACLS Fellow in American Art