A Painter’s Eye

African American Studies at Princeton University

Princeton AAS Podcast S2 E07

A Painter’s Eye

In this episode, we sit down with the legendary historian and artist Nell Painter to discuss her career and its connections to Black Studies. From reckoning with historical figures as individuals, to her life and work at Princeton, to her own works-in-progress, this podcast has something for everyone. Our hosts dive deep into Painter’s legacy and the lessons she has for our present moment.

The Culture of __

“This new and 'old' artist offers a self-portrait in starting over,” PBS NewsHour, July 23, 2018

“Nell Painter: Old In Art School,” GBH Forum Network, July 31, 2018

The Breakdown - Guest Info

Nell Irvin Painter (nellpainter.com)

Nell Irvin Painter is Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita at Princeton University. She was Director of Princeton's Program in African-American Studies from 1997 to 2000. In addition to her doctorate in history from Harvard University, she has received honorary doctorates from Wesleyan, Dartmouth, SUNY-New Paltz, and Yale. Prof. Painter has published numerous books, articles, reviews, and other essays, including The History of White People. She has served on numerous editorial boards and as an officer of many different professional organizations, including the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the American Antiquarian Society, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, and the Association of Black Women Historians.

Nell Painter (the painter formerly known as the historian Nell Irvin Painter) lives and works in Newark, New Jersey. Her work carries discursive as well as visual meaning, and is made in a manual and digital process. Using found images and digital manipulation, she reconfigures the past and self-revision through self-portraits. After a life of historical truth and political engagement with American society, her artwork represents freedom, including the freedom to be totally self-centered.

See, Hear, Do

• “The Extraordinary Women of AAS Featuring Nell Painter,” Princeton University Department of African American Studies, March 28, 2022
• Nell Irvin Painter, Southern History Across the Color Line (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2021 [2002])
• Nell Painter, “American Whiteness Since Trump,” James Fuentes Gallery, 2020
• “Nell Painter and Black Power in Print,” Museum of Fine Arts Boston, November 15, 2021
• “Nell Irvin Painter to Deliver the Charles Homer Haskins Prize Lecture,” American Council of Learned Societies Annual Meeting, Friday, April 29, 2022 @ 6:00 PM EST (registration in link)