Cummins compares Texas artists’ experiences in the ’30s
Austin College professor of history Victoria H. Cummins received the C.K. Chamberlain Award from the East Texas Historical Association at its fall awards luncheon in October. The award is named for Professor C.K. Chamberlain, a longtime faculty member at Stephen F. Austin University and one of the founders of the East Texas Historical Association.
The award is given annually for the best article published in the previous year in the East Texas Historical Journal, the association’s major publication. Cummins won the award for her article “Prejudice and Pride: Women Artists and the Public Works of Art Projects in East Texas, 1933-1934,” published in Volume LIII, No. 2 (Fall 2015). The article contrasts the experiences of female artists in Houston and Dallas in the first federally funded art project of the New Deal, tying the differences to the presence or absence of empathetic art administrators.
Cummins’ research dealing with Texas art and artists of the 1920s and 1930s grew out of her long-standing interest in the Mexican muralist movement of the 1920s to 1950s. She has presented a number of scholarly papers based on this research and is working on additional projects.
Cummins has been a member of the Austin College faculty since 1978 and teaches courses on Latin American history and the history of women. She holds the Austin College A. M. Pate Jr. Endowed Chair of History.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.