معرفی
Thelma K. Thomas is an Associate Professor of Fine Arts at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. She holds a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College (1980), M.A. (1982), and Ph.D. (1990) from NYU. Her research focuses on Late Antique, Byzantine, and Eastern Christian art, emphasizing material culture, historiography, and textile studies. She has curated major exhibitions like Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity (2016) and authored seminal works such as Late Antique Egyptian Funerary Sculpture (2000) and Designing Identity (2016). Her work bridges art history with digital humanities, including online databases and Scalar publications.
Her research interests include cross-cultural interactions, trade networks (e.g., Silk Road), and the role of textiles in identity formation. She has held fellowships from institutions like Dumbarton Oaks and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thomas serves on editorial boards for journals like The Art Bulletin and has advised students globally on Late Antique and Byzantine studies. She advocates for digital scholarship and critical engagement with historical narratives, as evidenced by her response to the Charlottesville events in 2017.
Her exhibitions and publications address themes like monastic portraiture, luxury arts, and the social functions of textiles. Key awards include grants from the Kevorkian Foundation and the Alliance for Networking Visual Culture. She teaches courses on Late Antique and Byzantine art, emphasizing interdisciplinary methods and global connections.
