Dr. James Kimble, an associate professor in the department of communication and the arts, has been named a Senior Fellow by the Norman Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies.
According to an announcement on March 20 by Rockwell Center curator Dr. Joyce Schiller, the fellowship will foster Kimble's archival research into several visual characters on the American home front.
After concluding his research in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Missouri, Kimble will deliver a lecture at the Norman Rockwell Museum and write a publication for a scholarly journal, all of which are being supported and funded by his fellowship.
"It means a great deal to me that the Rockwell Center appreciates the research that I've done in the area of visual culture," Kimble said. "It means even more that they are willing to provide resources to help me keep the research program going."
One of only two Rockwell fellows this year, Kimble explained that the fellowship will provide funding for the project he proposed, which involves archival research on prominent artistic characters on the home front during World War II.
According to Kimble, the most famous figure today is Norman Rockwell's Willie Gillis character. That research will take Kimble to the archives of Rockwell, the University of Connecticut and Washington University in St. Louis.
"Funding organizations encourage scholars whose research programs fit the organizations' interests to apply for fellowships," Kimble said.
Kimble had to compile a detailed proposal and complete an application that was due last fall. According to Kimble, scholars in all fields are encouraged to apply for fellowships to further their research.
The Rockwell Center, which offers its funded fellowship opportunities annually, has interests primarily in the area of visual studies in American history.
Since Kimble has an established record in the area of visual arts, he decided to apply.
His application was one of many applications from scholars in visual arts.
"It took the Rockwell Center Committee several months to sift through the competing applications and select their fellows for this year," Kimble said.
After being named one of the two fellowship recipients for the 2013-14 school year, Kimble said he hopes to bring this experience back with him to the classrooms of Seton Hall.
"Examples of visual rhetoric find their way into all of my classes sooner or later," Kimble said. "So the work I'm doing on this project will no doubt make appearances, too - most likely in my Rhetorical Criticism course, or possibly the Propaganda, Religion, and War course."
Kimble said that his colleagues at Seton Hall helped make the fellowship possible.
"I am profoundly grateful to my colleagues at Seton Hall, whose encouragement and support during my career here have been instrumental in reaching this milestone," Kimble said.
Erica Szczepaniak can be reached at erica.szcepaniak@student.shu.edu
