Speaking
Public lectures • Conversations • Workshops on art, race, and the visual imagination
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Dr. Denva Gallant is an art historian, writer, and public scholar whose work explores how medieval and Renaissance images shaped racial imagination in Europe. An Assistant Professor at Rice University, she speaks widely on visual culture, Blackness in premodern art, the politics of looking, and how historical imagery continues to resonate in contemporary life.
Her public scholarship appears across museums, universities, and digital platforms, where she is known for translating complex research into accessible, compelling narratives.
How Medieval Art Invented Race Before Race
How Medieval Art Invented Race Before Race
A gripping look at how images of Blackness and whiteness in medieval Italy shaped European racial thought long before modern categories existed. This talk connects art history to today’s conversations about representation, identity, and seeing.
The Politics of Looking: What Images Teach Us About Power
The Politics of Looking: What Images Teach Us About Power
A public-facing exploration of why images matter — from medieval manuscripts to Beyoncé. This talk examines how visual culture creates narratives about who belongs, who is seen, and how meaning is constructed.
The Black Magus: Race, Power, and the Medieval Imagination
The Black Magus: Race, Power, and the Medieval Imagination
Why did Balthazar emerge as a Black king in the 14th century — and what did that mean for Europe? This visually rich lecture traces how one figure transformed cultural ideas about Africa, divinity, and difference.
Audiences leave with:
A deeper understanding of how images shape cultural and racial narratives
Tools to critically engage visual media, past and present
New frameworks for thinking about identity and representation
An engaging, story-driven experience grounded in scholarship
Selected speaking venues:
Rice University • American Academy in Rome • Harvard Univeristy • Yale University • Arizona Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies • Museums and cultural institutions (full list available upon request)
Selected media & press:
Hyperallergic — “On Loving in the Dark: What a medieval Black angel taught me about love” (forthcoming)
Public Books — “Extracting Blackness, from the Middle Ages to Today” (forthcoming)
KJZZ’s The Show (NPR affiliate) — Interview on race, desire, and medieval alchemy
New Books Network — Interview on Illuminating the Vitae patrum
Booking / Inquiries:
For speaking invitations, interviews, and public programming, please contact: denva.gallant@rice.edu
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