Neil Harris Awarded the Harvard GSAS Centennial Medal

Neil Harris Awarded the Harvard GSAS Centennial Medal

June 9, 2022

neil harris

Neil Harris has been awarded the Harvard GSAS Centennial Medal for founding the academic discipline of cultural history and shedding light on those who launched many important visual and historical developments in American society. Harris is the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor Emeritus in the department of art history at the University of Chicago.

Museums and libraries, shopping malls, art and design, illustrated children’s literature, world’s fairs, and P. T. Barnum are all institutions woven into the fabric of American life – and all have had the depth of their cultural significance voiced by Neil Harris. An expert on visual and material culture, and a founder of the academic discipline of cultural history, Harris has shone a light on those who may not have been considered significant creators of culture but who in fact were responsible for many important historical developments in American society.

Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Dean Emma Dench says of Neil Harris that for his “pioneering work in shaping the field of cultural history and his expansive and influential scholarship exploring the wide range and rich significance of American culture … we are proud to award [him] the 2022 Centennial Medal.”

For more information see the Division’s Announcement.