May 9, 2014 A humanities teacher at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and The Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been selected as the first recipient of The William Reese Company Teacher Fellowship at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Anne Greenwood, who has taught humanities subjects including English composition, painting, drawing, art history and fundamentals of research at the school since 2007, was selected for the museum’s one-month research fellowship program, which includes a $4,000 stipend. The Reese Teacher Fellowship was established in January, 2014, to enrich high school curriculum by encouraging research into the development of interdisciplinary connections between American art and core curriculum subjects of language arts, history, social studies and the sciences. Applications were submitted and reviewed this spring, with a final selection made by a review committee which included representatives of Crystal Bridges’ library, education, and curatorial departments. Anne Greenwood currently serves as chair of the ASMSA humanities department. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Arkansas. At Crystal Bridges, her research project will focus on creating interdisciplinary high school curriculum around the themes of taxonomy, biodiversity, colonialism and environmental impact. Greenwood’s project will draw upon artworks from Crystal Bridges’ collection, such as the Gems of Brazil hummingbird paintings by Martin Johnson Heade, and James Henry Beard’s It’s Very Queer, Isn’t It?, as well as natural history illustrations found in the Crystal Bridges Library collection by 19th-century naturalists and artists such as Mark Catesby and John James Audubon. Paired with readings of works by 19th-century authors such as Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley that deal with issues regarding the interaction of science with the natural world, the proposed curriculum will draw together art, science, nature and literature to provide insight into a critical period of scientific and artistic discovery in the United States and Europe. “I am deeply honored to receive the Reese fellowship. As a teacher at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, I’ve had the chance to work with students who are gifted scholars but who often see academics as separate from fine art, “ said Greenwood. “Helping my students discover connections between history, literature, the sciences and fine arts has been deeply gratifying, and my hope is through the Reese Fellowship I can help other teachers provide students with those new wrinkles of the brain which develop from unexpected connections.” The Reese Teacher Fellowship was established by the William Reese Company of New Haven, Conn, which works with collectors and institutions in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts as well as in collection development. The company was instrumental in helping Crystal Bridges develop its inaugural library holdings. William Reese will visit Crystal Bridges and offer an Art Talk titled A Passion for Collecting Historic Works Depicting Native Americans, on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m. Reese will discuss his passion as a collector of historic prints and paintings of Native Americans, and delve into the epic story behind Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall’s publication History of the Indian Tribes of North America (1838-1844). The Art Talk is free, no registration required. Learn more about the Reese Teacher Fellowship. ### About William Reese Company Since 1975, William Reese Company has served a large international clientele of collectors and private and public institutions in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts and in collection development. With a catalogued inventory of more than 40,000 items, and a general inventory of more than 65,000 items, William Reese Company is among the leading specialists in the fields of Americana and world travel, and maintains a large and eclectic inventory of literary first editions and antiquarian books of the 18th through 21st centuries. Additional information available at www.williamreesecompany.com
