Alexandra [Sasha] Whittaker

Alexandra [Sasha] Whittaker
Art History Major
City College Fellow

awhitta000@citymail.cuny.edu

Sasha Whittaker is pursuing a major in art history with a minor in philosophy. Her focus is the history of photography, and her research examines the life and work of the Czech photographer Josef Sudek (1896-1976). One of the aims of this research is to understand Sudek’s photographs in their historical context, especially the First and Second World Wars, the 1948 Czechoslovakian communist coup, and the 1968 Prague Spring. Sasha will also examine the relationship between Sudek’s photography and other artistic media such as painting, literature, and music. This work is a first step towards understanding how the visual arts, and photography in particular, flourished or were stifled behind the Iron Curtain.

During fall 2015, Sasha will pursue her research abroad in Prague, where she will take courses on Czech photography and Eastern European art history at Charles University, thanks to support from the City College Art Department’s Connor Study Abroad Fellowship.

Sasha aspires to earn a PhD in art history in preparation to become a museum curator. As a curator and specialist in the history of photography, she hopes to continue scholarly research as well as create exhibitions that make visual arts accessible and engaging for the public.