Mickey Abel, associate professor of art education and art history at the University of North Texas, will present the 2014 J. Bernard Schultz Endowed Lecture in Art History, Thursday, Feb. 20, at West Virginia University.

The lecture, titled “GPS/GIS: Mapping and Medieval Art History in the ‘Age of Relevance,’” begins at 5 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (200A) of the Creative Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.

Abel studies the abbey of Maillezais in western France, which had tremendous holdings during the Middle Ages and restructured the swamps and tidal lands into canals that persist to the present day. These changed not only the ecology but the economy of the region. Last summer she traveled with students, including geographers, to map the 12th century remains of canals that distinguish fresh and brackish water.

The J. Bernard Schultz Lecture Series in Art History was endowed in the College of Creative Arts in 2004 by donors who wish to remain anonymous. The Lecture Series honors former College of Creative Arts Dean Bernie Schultz, who is also professor of art history in the School of Art and Design and also director of Education and External Affairs for the Art Museum of WVU.

Each year, the lecture series brings a leading art historian to WVU, to enhance the art history program, as well as engage the intellectual life of the University.

The J. Bernard Schultz Lecture Series in Art History endowment was created through the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for WVU.

For more information about the lecture, contact the WVU College of Creative Arts at (304) 293-4359.

-WVU-

cl/2/19/14

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.