Association for Art History Undergraduate Dissertation Prize goes to ECA graduate

A head and shoulders photograph of Prune. She's wearing a black top, has dark hair cut just above the shoulder, and is smiling at the camera

Prune Engerant

ECA graduate Prune Engerant has been awarded the Association for Art History's Undergraduate Dissertation Prize, for Read the Room: Exploring Lucy Lippard and the Role of the Curator.

The 2023 History of Art graduate's dissertation featured an in-depth and critical study of the curatorial work of Lucy R. Lippard, addressing her curatorial engagement with the exhibition as object, the theme of authorship, and audience engagement. It featured an analysis of the card catalogues produced by Lippard for her Number Shows ––a set of four exhibitions spanning from 1969 to 1974.

Prune said: "I am very excited to have received the AAH Undergraduate Dissertation Prize, and grateful to the association for inviting me to attend the 2024 annual conference––it was such a fantastic experience! After four years at the University of Edinburgh, I could not have asked for a better way to conclude my undergraduate degree.

"I am thankful for all the support I have received from the History of Art department and especially to Dr Kirsten Lloyd who, as my supervisor, was crucial in directing my critical approach to Lippard's curatorial work. I look forward to seeing where this academic journey takes me next, thank you again to both the AAH and ECA!"

After graduating, Prune joined the Courtauld Institute of Art in September where she is currently completing a Master's degree in Medieval Art History. She has also been elected as Student Union President, a role she'll undertake full time next year.

I am immensely proud of Prune’s achievement. Her dissertation offered a strikingly original perspective on Lucy Lippard’s influential curatorial practice while posing incisive questions on the broader histories of curatorship and exhibition making. Prune approached her dissertation research with an exuberant curiosity which she combined with a commitment to reading widely around the topic. I thoroughly enjoyed our supervision discussions. The resulting work makes a real contribution to the existing scholarship in this area and is undoubtedly very deserving of the Association for Art History’s prestigious prize. Congratulations Prune!

Dr Kirsten Lloyd

Senior lecturer and dissertation supervisor

Prune's dissertation was thoroughly enjoyable to read and our panel was incredibly impressed with the work she submitted. Prune took a nuanced and critical approach to curatorial practices, and her research was in-depth, balanced, and well-deployed; therefore, showing a quality of academic writing unexpected at the undergraduate level. It was a delight to award this prize to a fellow ECA student!

Sonny Ruggiero

Chair of the Doctoral and Early Career Research Committee and member of the selection panel