My dream is about to come true! I’ve been accepted to the Syracuse University Art History Masters program! I’ll be in upstate New York this fall, and then living in Florence, Italy for a year. This is an opportunity to solidify and formalize my knowledge of Italian Renaissance history, politics, architecture, and art. I’ll be studying the Italian language, archival research, art criticism, restoration, and preservation, with trips to different regions in Italy, and an internship with world-renowned art historian Sheila Barker of the Medici Archive Project. I’ve received a substantial scholarship, plus generous assistance from family, but I’m asking for more support to cover travel and living expenses.

I am an interdisciplinary artist and writer, making comics that reinterpret complex historical subjects. My work often serves as a bridge between academia and a broader, mainstream audience. Over a decade ago I set out to portray a new vision of the Italian Renaissance with the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a seventeenth-century rape survivor retelling the cultural narratives of her time and place with paintings that speak uniquely to women. After seven years of work, 'I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi' was published by Fantagraphics in 2019.

In 2020, COVID crushed my plans to participate in a big retrospective of Artemisia’s work at the National Gallery in London, and I lost a rare opportunity to see almost all of her known output in one place. Now here I am six years later, finally facing the prospect of seeing everything I missed and more!

I recently veered away from early modern history to work on 'Orwell and Me' (to be released in early 2027), but my greatest desire is to return to the Italian Renaissance, this time with support from academia. Building on 'I Know What I Am', I want to continue researching similar themes, and produce another large graphic novel out of that research. Previously, I was limited to secondary sources and translations, with no travel budget or resources for onsite exploration. But now, this program will lay the foundation for my next book by helping me dig into primary sources at last! Recent discoveries change what we know about Artemisia, and women in the Italian Renaissance generally. This is my chance to be at the forefront of new research.

My next book involves early modern Italian criminal trials, so the program’s emphasis on both social history and art history is appealing, as well as its examination of the Italian Renaissance within a global, political context. An Art History Masters degree will also open up more teaching opportunities, beyond guest lecturing.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to work in Italy with the student visa. The biggest expense is housing, in addition to airfare, travel, storage space, supplies, insurance, and more. Any amount you can donate would be amazing! Please visit my Patreon page for more details and more ways to help support me: https://Patreon.com/IKnowWhatIAm