Fall 2026 Events

Fall 2026 is here!

VSGC Back-to-School Orientation Event

Please join us to meet Visual Studies Graduate Certi cate faculty, connect with fellow graduate students, and learn more about our certi cate program!

VSRI 60th anniversary screening of THE ENDLESSS SUMMER (1966)

The VSRI Endless Summer Research Group presents a 60th anniversary screening of the classic 1966 surf documentary, The Endless Summer, directed by Bruce Brown. The screening will take place on Wednesday, August 26, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. PST at the Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre at USC (3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007).

VSRI Community News

VSRI faculty, alumni, students, and other community members: Have good news? Email us at vsri@usc.edu.

VSGC student Rose Bishop secures Jane and Morgan Whitney Fellowship at MET

Congratulations to VSGC gradaute student, Rose Bishop (AHIS), on securing the Jane and Morgan Whitney Fellowship in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Rose is currently working on her dissertation, *Idol Makers, Picture Takers: Snapshots of American Popular Music, 1941-1983* under the supervison of Prof. Vanessa Schwartz.

VSGC alum Ryan Linkof wins 2026 Lammy Award for QUEER LENS

Congratulations to VSGC alum Dr. Ryan Linkof on winning the 2026 Lammy Award for *Queer Lens: A History of Photography*, co-edited with Paul Martineau! We’re also thrilled to celebrate the upcoming opening of the Lucas Museum, where Dr. Linkof serves as Senior Curator and Head of Film Programs.

VSGC alum K.L.H Wells publishes UNCANNY REVIVALS

Congratulations to VSGC alum Dr. K.L.H Wells, who recently published UNCANNY REVIVALS: DESIGNING AN AMERICAN IDENTITY with Yale University Press. Prof. Wells will join us a screener for VSRI ‘CV and Garnt Writing Workshop,’ scheduled to take place on October 3.

VSRI News Archive

An archive of news from VSRI faculty, alumni, students, and other community members.

VSGC alum Kirsten Seuffert publishes in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies

Congratulations to VSGC alum Kirsten Seuffert, who recently published an article in the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS), titled “Other ‘Punks’ in Late 1970s–1980s Cinema in Japan: Gender, Documentary, Ephemerality.” This article is based on the research that Kirsten presented at the VSRI Anne Friedberg Memorial Lecture in April 2024.

VSGC Alum Brian Jacobson publishes THE CINEMA OF EXTRACTIONS

Congratulations to VSGC alum Dr. Brian Jacobson, who recently published THE CINEMA OF EXTRACTIONS: FILM MATERIALS AND THEIR FORMS with Columbia University Press. The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Brian about the book as part of the April 2025 Sustainability Issue. Click to read the article!

VSGC and Art History PhD candidate Rose Bishop receives Predoctoral Fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

Congratulations to VSGC student and Art History PhD candidate Rose Bishop, who has been awarded a nine-month Predoctoral Fellowship through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program! She will be conducting research at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and National Museum of American History under the supervision of curators John Jacob and Shannon Perich.

Darshana Sreedhar Mini publishes RATED A

VSGC alum Darshana Sreedhar Mini has published her first book, RATED A: SOFT-PORN CINEMA AND MEDIATIONS OF DESIRE. The research for this book was supported in part through the Anne Friedberg Memorial Grant while Darshana was a Ph.D. candidate at USC. Click here to learn more!

Isabel Frampton Wade publishes in American Art

VSGC alum Isabel Frampton Wade has published an article in American Art titled “Harry Drinkwater and the Limits of Architectural Photography, 1966–69.” Check out the article here!

Avigail Moss co-edits a special issue of Oxford Art Journal

VSGC alum Avigail Moss has recently co-edited a special issue of Oxford Art Journal, titled “Art and the Actuarial Imagination.” This issue originated at a 2015 VSRI event where she met her co-editor, Matthew C. Hunter. Please check out the issue here.