Author: Clark, Emily

Benton Exhibit Honors Minnie Negoro, Pioneering UConn Ceramics Professor

Minnie Negoro using a pottery wheel.
Minnie Negoro uses a potter's wheel on December 5, 1967. (Courtesy of UConn Archives and Special Collections).

A new exhibition at the William Benton Museum of Art celebrates the contributions of Minnie Negoro, a former professor who laid the foundation for UConn’s ceramics program, while also highlighting her journey through one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history.

Hana Maruyama, assistant professor of history and social and critical inquiry in CLAS and lead curator of the exhibition, hopes it will honor Negoro’s legacy at UConn while spotlighting the importance of public history.

Jason Chang—head of the Department of Social and Critical Inquiry, associate professor of history, and co-curator of the exhibition— first uncovered Negoro’s story while leading the former Asian and Asian American Studies Institute. Recognizing its significance, he partnered with Maruyama and a team of scholars and artists to examine Negoro’s impact at UConn. Their research soon uncovered an unexpected discovery—this year marks 60 years since Negoro’s arrival at the University.

The exhibit will remain on display until July 27, 2025. Maruyama hopes it will cement Negoro’s legacy at UConn while also bringing attention to the broader history of Japanese American incarceration.

“This history is still so personal for many of us,” she says. “Minnie Negoro’s story is about resilience, creativity, and the power of education. It’s about making sure we don’t forget.”

Read more on UConn Today.

WGSS Class Creates Collaborative Feminist Publication

WGSS 2204: Feminisms and the Arts students at UConn Hartford display their final project.
Students from WGSS 2204: Feminisms and the Arts at UConn Hartford proudly present their final project - a feminist newsletter publication. (Photo courtesy Luciana McClure and James O'Donnell)

Nearly 80 students enrolled in two sections of WGSS 2204: Feminisms and the Arts at UConn Hartford worked collaboratively to produce a feminist publication as their fall 2024 final class project.

This hands-on learning experience was led by Luciana McClure, a WGSS adjunct professor, with help from John O’Donnell, an associate professor of art and art history. The classes worked with UConn Prints and Counterproof Press to produce a newsletter from start to finish.

Counterproof Press is a unique collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Fine Arts. Founded in 2014, it facilitates projects where students, faculty, visiting artists, and scholars can create limited-edition art objects, artifacts, and publications.

As part of the class, students were introduced to the long history of feminist publications and decentralized publishing, gaining context for their work. Students then worked in groups to focus on themes connecting feminism, arts, and other course topics.

The final project comprised both original and historical texts and images, creating a powerful publication that amplifies the discourse and perspectives of feminism at UConn.

Cover of a feminist publication created by students in WGSS2204: Feminisms and the Arts at UConn Hartford as their final project.
Cover of a feminist publication created by UConn Hartford students in WGSS 2204: Feminisms and the Arts as their final project. (Photo courtesy Luciana McClure and James O'Donnell)

WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Gabby Ferrell

About Gabby Ferrell (she/her)

Education

  • Graduation Year: 2020
  • Major: Journalism
  • Minor: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology

Community Involvement

  • Co-organized 2021 international virtual conference at SCSU- bi-annual conferences: “Gender race community and conflict”
  • Social Justice Organizing at Grassroots
  • Research in Respectability Politics
  • Graduate Assistant

    Post Graduation

    • Master's in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Southern Connecticut State University
    • Adjunct Professor at Southern Connecticut State University's Department of Journalism

    Gabby Ferrell

    Testimonial

    "Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies changed my life. When I was a freshman, I needed Gen-Eds to fill my schedule. When looking at the directory and seeing what was available, WGSS caught my eye called "Feminisms and the Arts." I had never heard of a class that discussed the two. I took it and was hooked. Fast forward to 2023 and I now have a Bachelors in Journalism with minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. I also have a Masters in Women's and Gender Studies. I am currently a professor in the Journalism Department at Southern Connecticut State University where I teach about the power of the First Amendment and the intersectionality of the American experience. I am also Contributor for TheGirlMob, BY. Network, a Board Member of the Peace Development Fund, and run my own blog gabrielleferrell.com.

    Although the world made us feel as though women's studies in general isn't useful and doesn't make money, I have experienced differently. WGSS and social reform studies is necessary for any job. Keeping people in mind, especially those of disenfranchised and marginalized groups, those with intersectional experiences, and others who differ from that, play a role in how effective the job is. All fields need someone with WGSS experience. You can weave it into everything you do such as how to approach a problem with a task, project and/or within your work team.

    Current WGSS students- please know that your experiences in these classes are far more than proficiency in education and doing your work. Look at them as spaces where your beings are challenged. Everything you've been taught, everything you've heard, and everything you do should start to feel uncomfortable in the best way."

    WGSS Recent Placement: Carol J. Gray

    About Dr. Carol J. Gray (she/her)

    Education 

    • Ph.D. and MA in Political Science; Grad. certificates in Feminist Studies; Human Rights; and Race, Ethnicity & Politics, University of Connecticut
    • JD, Northeastern University School of Law
    • LLM, Georgetown University Law Center
    • Diploma in International Human Rights Law, American University in Cairo
    • BA in African Studies, Wesleyan University

      Post Graduation

      •  Assistant Professor of Public Law at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Department of Political Science and a member of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program
      • Fulbright Scholar in Montreal, Canada, and a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar in Cairo
      • Prettyman Fellowship teaching in Georgetown University Law Center’s Criminal Justice Clinic 
      • National Association for Public Interest law Fellowship (now Equal Justice) at the Georgia Resource Center in Atlanta
      • Mary Miles Bibb Teaching Fellow at Framingham State University

      Carol J. Gray

      Testimonial

      "Obtaining the Feminist Studies certificate was a critical part of my educational development. It provided me more resources to incorporate gender, in an interdiscipinary context, as an essential part of my pedagogy. In every political science course I teach, I integrate women authors (including those of color and from the Global South), women’s rights, and intersectionality with race, class, and gender with my roots for these in theWomen, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program. As a doctoral student, my research was supported by the Wood/Raith Gender Identity Living Trust Fellowship. One stream of my current research investigates issues of gender and race focusing on Mary Bibb, the first African American woman to graduate from Framingham State University who, with her husband, published one of the first African American newspapers in Canada focusing on the anti-slavery movement in the 1800s."

      WGSS Recent Placement: Shamayeta Bhattacharya

      About Shamayeta Bhattacharya (she/her)

      Education 

      • B.Sc. & M.Sc. Geography, Presidency University, Kolkata, India
      • Ph.D. Geography, University of Connecticut
      • Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Graduate Certificate, University of Connecticut
      • Human Rights Graduate Certificate, University of Connecticut

        Post Graduation

        • Assistant Professor, Community Engagement and Leadership Department, Point Park University

        Shamayeta Bhattacharya

        Testimonial

        "If you are planning on seeking a tenure track position in a gender studies or community engagement department the WGSS certificate is key. Taking the feminist pedagogy class with Dr. Zane prepped me with the job market teaching materials including a teaching statement and creating a Portfolium account. Additionally, the WGSS certificate allowed me to take courses from different departments which added to my intersectional lens."

        WGSS Recent Placement: Meaghan Davis

        About Meaghan Davis (she & they)

        Education 

        • BA History, BS Education, MA Education, University of Connecticut
        • Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership & Equity, New England College
        • Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Graduate Certificate
        • Nonprofit Management Graduate Certificate
        • Human Right to Education Graduate Certificate
        • Peace Studies Graduate Certificate

          Post Graduation

          • Director, First Year Experience at St. Francis College
          • Founder of The BRAVE Institute

          Meaghan Davis

          Testimonial

          "Earning the graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UConn positioned me well to be an effective leader, lifelong learner, and skilled activist within my work in higher education as well as the nonprofit world. The coursework and community I engaged with during my time in the WGSS program challenged me personally and professionally to (un)learn ways of thinking, doing, and being, which all contribute to reimagining the systems and cultures we all co-create. My experience within the WGSS program helped prepare me to show up for ALL of my students and to co-create spaces with my students that lead to transformation and liberation."

          WGSS Recent Placement: Anna Ziering

          About Dr. Anna Ziering (she/her)

          Education 

          • Ph.D. in English (UConn 2022), with a Graduate Certificate in American Studies and a
            Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
          • MA in English (UConn 2017)
          • MFA in Poetry (Boston University, 2015)
          • BA in American Studies (Barnard College 2011)

          Post Graduation

          • Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, affiliated with African American Studies

          Anna Ziering

          Testimonial

          "Completing the UConn WGSS Graduate Certificate made my interdisciplinary work legible and contributed to my being hired by a WGSS program. My engagement with WGSS at UConn included TAing, teaching as Instructor of Record, and serving as a program assistant. I also received awards including the Wood/Raith Gender Identity Living Trust Fellowship (2021), the Excellence in Graduate Teaching in Women’s Studies Award (2021), and the Susan Porter Benson Graduate Research Award in Feminist Studies (2020). I am grateful to the faculty in the UConn WGSS program who served as mentors and advisors both during my time at UConn and beyond."

          WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Adam Kocurek

          About Adam Kocurek (he/him)

          Education

          • Graduation Year: 2016
          • Major: Dual degree in History and WGSS
          • Minor: English

          Community Involvement

          • VAWPP (Violence Against Women Prevention Program) Peer Facilitator at the Women's Center
          • Resident Assistant for the Residential Life
          • Employed with the Writing Center
          • Internship as a TA for WGSS Professor
          • Internship with Appellate Printing Press

          Post Graduation

          • Ph.D. candidate in History at The CUNY Graduate Center
          • Adjunct lecturer at Hunter College

            Adam Kocurek

            Testimonial

            "I work as a Ph.D. candidate in New York City and teach as an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College. WGSS gave me the supportive academic community and critical thinking and research skills necessary for me to enter my Ph.D. program. The faculty, staff, and other students in WGSS, as well as the other resources on campus like the Writing Center, were instrumental in developing my skills as a budding scholar and educator. The critical feminist pedagogical philosophy and analytical skills I honed through WGSS are highly valued in my work as an educator and researcher, and I credit the mentors I had in WGSS for getting me to where I am today. My advice to current WGSS students is to take full advantage of all the resources available to you at the university, take on as many classes and internship opportunities as possible to broaden your mind and professional spheres, and take the initiative to forge community with your peers. Be kind and generous with yourself, as with others."

            WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Holly Crouse (Sansolo)

            About Holly Crouse (Sansolo) (she/her)

            Education

            • Graduation Year: 2011
            • Major: Human Development and Family Studies
            • Minor: Women's Studies

              Post Graduation

              • Director of Client Success, Enterprise at Indeed.com

              Holly Crouse

              Testimonial

              "My background in WGSS continues to play a valuable role in my daily interactions with colleagues and my overall career. As the leader of a department with 50+ employees, I am responsible for upholding Indeed’s mission of creating the best working environment and fostering inclusivity within my team. Recognizing the intersectionality of the individuals I oversee lies at the heart of leading with empathy and ensuring my team's well-being in the workplace.

              In addition to my leadership role, I actively participate in Indeed’s Inclusion Business Resource Group, Women at Indeed. The goal of this group is to establish Indeed as the model for gender equality in both culture and product offerings. This blends together the functional work I do in the business with my own personal passions and ideals.

              My foundation in WGSS has been pivotal in helping me understand my role as a woman in leadership and in supporting other women in my workplace. I consider myself fortunate to work for a company that prioritizes inclusion and places these conversations at the forefront of our work. For students considering WGSS coursework, there are valuable skills that can be applied to career advancement, distinguishing oneself in the workplace, and fostering a better environment for colleagues."

              WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Kayla Paris

              About Kayla Paris (she/her)

              Education

              • Graduation Year: 2020
              • Major: Double Major in Psychological Sciences and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

              Community Involvement

              • Employee at the Rainbow Center
              • Member of Community Outreach
              • Trip Director for Community Outreach

              Post Graduation

              • Administrative Assistant at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

              Kayla Paris

              Testimonial

              "I am very grateful for my journey into the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at UConn. I came into college with a very broad, generalized idea of what I wanted to study. I knew I wanted to be in a client serving role and interact with others on a meaningful scale. I thought coming to UConn as a declared Psychology major would give me a substantial background for my potential career interests in these types of paths (ex: counselor, coach, therapist). I did feel like I had a strong framework and found success in my Psychology classes, but I still felt something was missing. I had a stronger desire to learn more about society and the inner workings of how people experience the world. I was encouraged by a friend to try an introductory WGSS course during my first year. To say it was a transformative experience and a perfect fit into what I was missing from my educational path is an understatement. I decided to quickly declare WGSS as a second major and excitedly looked at the course catalog for all the upcoming classes I could take throughout college. In my courses, I learned everything from the history of activism and social movements, read impactful and progressive literature, and questioned my own place in the world. My WGSS courses also helped my confidence outside of the classroom and I became more involved in volunteer work and activism both on and off campus. Now as I explore different career options and enter the professional world, I know that my background in WGSS will set me apart from others as I have learned to see and analyze the world differently. I always think of intentionally and authenticity in embracing all social identities (gender, race, religion, sexuality, etc.), which helps me better understand and offer services to a diverse range of communities. The WGSS program at UConn will forever mean more than its title: it means continuous growth towards seeing the world as a more equitable place, regardless of how you identify. To any potential student thinking of entering the WGSS program, even if it's one course, please try it out. I promise you will walk away forever changed in ways you never imagined. "