At Bryn Mawr Online (BMOS), a top-ranked online school for girls, AP Art History students recently had the unique opportunity to learn from two world-renowned scholars, transforming their curriculum into a living dialogue with the leaders of the art world.
By providing live interactions with global experts, Bryn Mawr Online ensures that our online AP courses are more than just theoretical—they are a gateway to professional research and academic excellence. As one student shared, the guest speakers show, “how this class reflects in the real world. They show what you can do with this knowledge and what it looks like as a profession.”
In December 2025, the class welcomed Dr. Erin Giffin, a specialist in early modern sculpture and an editor of the Sculpture Journal. Drawing on her prestigious background at Harvard University’s I Tatti, Dr. Giffin led a deep dive into the evolution of Renaissance architecture and fresco. She guided students through the technical mastery of the medium of true fresco, the emotional dynamism found in Giotto’s Lamentation, and the shifting religious standards that influenced Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Dr. Giffin also shared insights from her recent monograph on the Santa Casa di Loreto, offering students a rare look at active, modern architectural research.
The exploration of global masterworks continued in April 2026 with Dr. Maya Stanfield-Mazzi, Co-editor in Chief of The Art Bulletin and a leading specialist in ancient and colonial Latin American art. Her visit provided a singular educational experience regarding the architectural mastery of the Inca Empire. Dr. Stanfield-Mazzi provided an expert perspective on sites like Machu Picchu, explaining how its role as a royal retreat for Emperor Pachacuti led to its preservation. She further detailed the brilliance of Inca ashlar masonry—mortar-less, precisely carved stones that created earthquake-resistant structures. Students also examined the layered history of Cusco, where Spanish colonial architecture, such as the Church of Santo Domingo, was built directly atop Inca foundations like the Qorikancha temple.
Teacher Emily Wilson noted that the inquiries from the AP Art History students were exceptionally sophisticated, reflecting the high level of engagement fostered at Bryn Mawr Online. Throughout the sessions, students offered insightful perspectives on Inca architecture and European masterpieces alike. At BMOS, we don’t just teach history; we invite students to participate in it, preparing them for success in college and beyond.
Books by Dr. Erin Giffin:
Early Modern Replicas of the Holy House of Loreto: Translating Space (Routledge, 2025)
Books by Dr. Maya Stanfield-Mazzi
Object and Apparition: Envisioning the Christian Divine in the Colonial
Andes (University of Arizona Press, 2013)
Clothing the New World Church: Liturgical Textiles of Spanish America, 1520–1820 (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021)
Collective Creativity and Artistic Agency in Colonial Latin America (University Press
of Florida, 2023)
