Joy Beckman
Professor of Art & Art History
George S. Parker II Chair in Art History
Director of the Wright Museum of Art
Department Chair of Museum Studies
- Email: beckmanj@beloit.edu
- Phone: +1 608-363-2097
- Office: Wright Museum 212A
Description / Biography
I majored in chemistry at St. Olaf, a small liberal arts college in Minnesota, although my real passion lay in Asian art. Fortunately, I was able to study Chinese at St. Olaf, while taking Chinese art history courses at the University of Minnesota. After college, I looked for an opportunity to return to Asia. Leveraging my chemistry degree I landed a summer job in a Pfizer lab, which paid my way to Taiwan. Once there, I studied enough classical Chinese to be admitted to the National Taiwan University, where I earned a Masters Degree. The many hours spent at the National Palace Museum helped hone my observations skills. Returning to the States, I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, where the course work focused on theory. Taken together, those studies guide my work today, both as a faculty member and as the director of Beloit’s Wright Museum of Art.
Outside work, I have a couple of hobbies. When I moved to Beloit, I was able to buy a neglected Victorian house, and restore it. At sunset, you can often finding me birdwatching at Nygren Wetlands.