Fabiola López-Durán

Thank you to all of you—Rice alumni—for the honor of this teaching award! Today, I am thinking of you with infinite gratitude for the challenge and inspiration you brought to my classes, and for the trust you placed in me to be part of your journey. Today I am also profoundly thankful for my colleagues who continue to inspire me, and for the many students at Rice and beyond who have made me a better instructor over the years. This honor is as much yours as it is mine. My sincere thanks as well to Lynne Lee, a stellar PhD candidate in Art History—whom I have had the privilege to accompany throughout her doctoral training—and the recipient of the Graduate Teaching Award for Independent Instruction, for accepting this award on my behalf. And to Luis Duno-Gottberg, my colleague, friend and compadre, my partner in so many academic adventures, who is also a recipient of this prize. I guess I am just surrounded by the best ;) I only wish I could have been in Houston last night to celebrate with you all! Photos: 1. Section of Rice News article with pictures of the nine faculty members who received the 2026 George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching. 2. My response to the question: What’s one moment in the classroom you’ll never forget — and why? 3. A picture of Lynne Lee receiving the award on my behalf next to Provost Amy Dittmar and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs C.Fred Higgs III. 4. Lynne celebrating after the ceremony 5 & 6. the awards #grateful #georgebrownaward #riceuniversity @riceuniversity @arthistoryrice

Save the date!!!! “Epistemologías Radicales” El Sábado 28 de Febrero inauguramos una exposición colectiva que reúne trabajos de sus seis artistas–Ana Nance, Allegra Esclapon, Gloria Oyarzabal, Linarejos Moreno, María Gimeno, y Pia Post. Comisariada por Fabiola López-Durán (Ph.D. MIT), historiadora de arte y profesora de Rice University - USA, la exposición presenta una mirada incisiva a procesos creativos y de investigación que en lugar de preguntarse cómo sabemos, se cuestionan qué exclusiones sostienen la construcción del conocimiento, que violencias se inscriben en él, y las posibilidades de imaginar saberes y futuros más justos. Sus trabajos despliegan sistemas epistemológicos abiertos, inestables, contingentes e incluso anacrónicos; prácticas sensibles al gesto, a los procesos, a la emoción, a la ausencia, en las que el arte se afirma como espacio político y ejercicio ético. #carabanchel #artstudios #artemadrid #exposiciones #mujeresartistas

Today, there is no place in the world where I would rather be than at MIT, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PhD program that shaped—and transformed—me, and for which I will be forever grateful. I have no words to express how honored I am to have been invited to speak at this milestone event, and how sad I feel that I cannot be there in person. I cannot even imagine the joy of being there surrounded by a constellation of brilliant and lovely HTC alumni/ae from across generations–coming together to discuss our field, exchange ideas, moving them forward, and, above all, to do what we have always done best: inspire and support one another! It has been such a journey—from arriving at MIT in 2002 with only a limited knowledge of English, to returning today (albeit virtually) in the middle of these difficult times. I cannot help but marvel at my good fortune, and at the remarkable HTC community that has shaped and sustained me along the way. Mil gracias! Much love—HTC love—to each of you. #mithtc #grateful

This past weekend we had a lovely evening at the new home and neighborhood of our dear friends Jenifer and Noe in the Houston’s Second Ward. This East End neighborhood emerged in 1839 as one of Houston’s original four wards. Immediately after, it became home to mostly Germans immigrants, evolving into a more diverse community after the Civil War when former enslaved people and Mexican immigrants moved into the neighborhood. Today it is inhabited by a diverse, culturally rich community living in a mixed-use urban area that combines gorgeous industrial buildings, abandoned warehouses, 1920s lovely bungalows, less lovely new townhouses, community gardens, and many many secrets! Among the gems of the neighborhood is Finca Tres Robles, an urban farm committed to provide more than healthy and accessible food to the community with its potluck dinners and courses about agriculture, baking and more; the old Cameron Ironworks building (next to the historic Maxwell House Coffee Plant), which used to produce oilfield and aerospace equipment and today houses independent little stores in containers, a restaurant that is transformed into a Latin ballroom at night, “El Segundo Coffee Lab,” and a Sew Studio to learn crochet and basic machine sewing. And in another renovated industrial facility, you can find a chocolate store and in its back a chocolate & spirits speakeasy; a café & plant collection; a local popsicle company; and Street to Kitchen—one of my favorite restaurants in this foodie city of ours—a delightful Thai restaurant by Benchawan Jabthong Painter, the young chef who grew up in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand, learned how to cook with her grandmother, was named best Chef in Texas by the James Beard Foundation in 2023, and more recently was recognized by the Michelin with a Bid Gourmand too. I love when different people and different cultures enrich each other, when different uses and activities bring people from different trajectories and interests together. I hope houses continue looking different in this neighborhood and people too! In Houston the world still worlds! ❤️ #htown #houstonsecondward #houstoneastend #fincatresrobles #ironworkshtx #secondwardhtx

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Magister of Hanszen College for these six extraordinary years, together with my life partner Carlos Pelayo Martinez; and to finish our tenure as magisters with the joy of celebrating the one and only Class of 2025! Thank you for making us part of your inspiring journey at Rice University and for teaching us the importance of making a difference in this world. Now go out there and do what you do best: making tomorrow brighter and better for all! We all need a world more like Hanszen–more daring, more passionate, more generous, more compassionate, more caring, more joyful, more creative and open to change. We are so proud of you! We love you so much! 💙 Photos: @flopezduran @oliverio_yu @riceuniversity @angelajiaan @lilyelyserem I wish I had taken more pictures :( #riceuniversity #riceclass2025 #hanszen #hanszencollege #HFH

Today, I would like to celebrate these two amazing young women, Isabella Campos and Laura Yee, former President and Chief Justice at Hanszen College. They were our amazing companions during this last academic year as Hanszen Magisters. To say that I am grateful for their leadership is an understatement. They made our life easier and much nicer. They inspired me everyday. They led with care, intelligence, elegance, strength and creativity. During the past couple of months while working with them, I could not stop myself from thinking over and over again about Walt Whitman’s ideas on women’s centrality to democracy. Today, more than ever, I can say that we need more trailblazing and caring women like them in every single discipline—from the hard and social sciences to law, the arts, and the humanities; we need more women like them in leadership initiatives, exercising their much needed influence in the public sphere. I am deeply grateful to both of you, Isabella and Laura, and I cannot wait to see how your presence and agency will transform every single community that will have the good fortune of having you. Fier de toi! #grateful #hanszencollege #riceuniversity @lj_yee @_isabellascampos

If you are in Houston, treat yourself with this lovely exhibition: “Joe Overstreet: Taking Flight” at the Menil. If you need hope, give yourself time to meditate in front of these amazing four canvases from 1968, which seem to be inseparable from each other, titled: “Justice, Faith, Hope, and Peace.” If you are interested in interrogating the modernist canon (like myself), think about Overstreet’s nomad and irregular canvases vis-à-vis the cut-out frames by Argentine avant-garde group MADI (on display at the MFAH), which were conceived decades earlier than Frank Stella’s and David Novros’ celebrated ones. I am thankful to live in a city in which we can see - first hand - how abstract art has never been one. And by doing so, undertake the urgent task to develop a more nuanced and complete picture of modernist creativity at a global level—one that includes the extraordinary contributions of African American and Latin American artists. Picture 1: Joe Overstreet, Justice, Faith, Hope, and Peace, 1968 at the Menil exhibition, curated by Natalie Dupêcher. Photo: Lauren Marek. Picture 2: The inner canvases, which were first shown in an exhibition at Rice University in 1971, curated by Larry Rivers and sponsored by John and Dominique de Menil. Picture 3: Joe Overstreet and visitors during the opening of his solo show at The DeLUXE Theater, Houston, 1972, also sponsored by John and Dominique de Menil. Picture 4: The DeLUXE Theater, the premiere Black movie theater in Houston’s Fifth Ward, which opened in 1941. #menil #joeoverstreet #grupomadi

These little ones stole my heart! ❤️ Catherine, Joshua, Georgina, Samuel and Ambrose: every time I see you, Caetano Veloso’s lovely song Leãozinho comes to mind… “I really like seeing you little lion(s), walking under the sun. I really like you, little lion(s). It is enough to come upon you along my way, little lion(s), to light my heart…” Grateful to have you, little lions, in my life ❤️ Hanszen Quad, Rice University, December 2024. Photos: @oliverio_yu Original lyrics in Portuguese: “Gosto muito de te ver, leãozinho, caminhando sob o sol. Gosto muito de você, leãozinho. Para desentristecer, leãozinho, o meu coração tão só, basta eu encontrar você no caminho….” #mismasamados #hanszenlove #hanszenkids #hanszencollege @brynspeak

Yesterday, I encountered these two extraordinary artworks by British artist Tacita Dean at the Menil: one, a drawing on chalk on an immense blackboard; the other, a monumental photograph colored on pencil. Both images—the colossal receding glacier featured on the blackboard and the ancient but still blossoming tree with its branches supported by wooden crutches—moved me to tears. I paused, I breathed, and I thought about our own power and fragility, about nature’s power and fragility, about our disabled bodies and disabled souls, and about the craft and beauty of repair. Sending love to each of you out there and my best wishes for an amazing new year! Tacita Dean, The Wreck of Hope, 2022 & Tacita Dean, Sakura (Jindai II), 2023 Photographs: Zan Wimberley.

Reposting from @arthistoryrice Join us this Thursday at 4pm! The Program in Museums and Cultural Heritage Studies (MUCH) invites everyone to attend a public lecture featuring Mechtild Widrich @mwidrich Department Chair of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, on Thursday, November 14. Dr. Widrich works on the intersection of contemporary art and architecture and researches on art in public space and the question of the public sphere (in particular contemporary monuments), on performance art and its mediation, and on aesthetic theory. The lecture will be moderated by Dr. Fabiola López-Durán, Associate Professor of Art History. “Monumental Cares and Sites of Activism” 📆November 14, 2024 | 4:00pm 📍Fondren Library, Kyle Morrow Room (3rd fl) 🔗 RSVP w/ link in bio [This lecture is free and open to the Rice community and public.] This presentation examines case studies from Mechtild Widrich’s book, “Monumental Cares,” which explores the monument debates of the past decade in the context of monumental phenomena like climate change, migration, and political tensions. Widrich argues that understanding how specific dates or events can represent these overwhelming processes requires a foundational approach, focusing on sites, artifacts, and their diverse audiences. This site-directed analysis highlights the importance of history in shaping a functioning, democratic public sphere. === #ricearthistory #iheartHART #riceuniversity #ricehumanities #much #monumentalcares @‌ricehumanities @mwidrich

The way we do things at Hanszen College ;)) During a long day of work…we stretch and laugh! We love you hanszenites💕 Hanszen Magister House, Rice University, October 2024. #hanszen #hanszencollege #hanszenfamilyheart #riceuniversity #HFH

A few days ago, I had the honor of participating in The Elephant is The Room/ Der Elefant ist der Raum, a two day symposium and exhibition at the ETH-School of Architecture in Zurich. These events, organized by two amazing women —scholar and activist Paola De Martin (ETH) and writer and musician Melinda Nadj Abonhi (Tesoro)— brought together scholars from different disciplines, human right activists, architects, artists and immigrants affected by the exclusionary mechanism of immigration laws in Switzerland. It was such an inspiring and moving event to reflect about the connection between eugenics, immigration and architecture. Paola and Melinda invited us to think about belongings and exclusions in a horizontal conversation. They showed us a model of what I believe academia should aspire to—to operate less disconnected from the real world, to extend university’s research beyond its borders, to influence public policies, to advance social justice, to care, to collaborate, to care. Thank you, Paola and Melinda, for this life lesson and for everything you do! Photos: 1. Paola de Martin, Melinda Nadj Abonhi, and myself at the entrance of The Elephant is The Room exhibition 2. Historian Marius Turda (Oxford University) and myself in front of the poster of the ETH event, which features the border health-control center in Brig (border between Italy and Switzerland) designed by Heidi and Peter Wenger, 1946-1957. 3. Melinda reading to the audience. 4-5. Professor and politician Regina Wecker (University of Basel) reading at the exhibition’s document platform. In that corner of the table, we can see my own book Eugenics in the Garden next to Regina’s book Eugenic und Sexualitat, Marius’s book Modernism and Eugenics, and other fascinating works such as Race and Modern Architecture; Colonial Modern; and Modern Architecture, Empire, and Race in Fascist Italy. 6. Inspiring Regina Wecker and myself at the exhibition opening. 7-10 Images of the amazing exhibition, which includes a 1h video (without editing) of a conversation I had with Paola De Martin on eugenics and architecture over zoom this past summer titled: It is not a footnote! More info: link in bio