Ana Matisse Donefer-Hickie (they/them) is a PhD candidate specializing in the visual and material culture of early modern north central Europe, with research interests in craft history, materiality, and artisanal labor practices. Their doctoral dissertation explores the ecologies of glass through study of the artistic, social, and embodied aspects of its working during the period of political fragility in the Holy Roman Empire around 1600. They have presented related work at conferences across the United States and Canada.

Before pursuing doctoral studies, Ana Matisse held a curatorial research position in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s department of European Sculpture and Decorative Art, where they supported several special exhibitions and permanent gallery re-installations. Much of their research for The Met has been published, including an essay in the 2019 exhibition catalogue Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe. Other published work includes book reviews in Renaissance Quarterly and a research essay in the Making and Knowing Project’s Secrets of Craft and Nature in Renaissance France. A Digital Critical Edition and English Translation of BnF Ms. Fr. 640, 2020.

They earned their MA in Decorative Arts, Design, and Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center, New York, and their BA (Hons) in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Kings College, Halifax. They are a current Temple University Fellow, and their pre-dissertation research has been supported by Temple University’s Graduate Summer Research Grant and Marcia Hall Research Award as well as the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin.
 

Advisor: Ashley West, PhD