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Meet Travis Nygard

  • Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
  • M.A., University of Pittsburgh
  • B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College

I teach art history and museum studies classes. For me studying art is fascinating because it shows how humans have interacted with each other over the centuries, and it also enables us to see the world in new ways. My art history classes cover all time periods and places, from prehistoric cave art to computer-generated art of today, but my favorite time periods to think about are modern and ancient. I also team-teach a travel course in Rome, Italy, and I love to show students how the grandeur of the ancient Roman architecture mixes with the fast-paced world of today.

I am a museum enthusiast, and I oversee the college’s museum studies program. My museum studies classes are both hands-on and research-based, as I enjoy teaching students how to curate the college’s collections of art and artifacts. We display items across campus, including in the Ripon College Museum in West Hall. Hosting artists when they display their work in the Caestecker Gallery is another highlight of my work in the art department. I am also involved with the Ripon Historical Society, and I am looking forward to connecting students with that institution for internships and volunteer work.

When I am not in the classroom I enjoy researching modern American art, especially as it relates to food and farming, as well as ancient Maya art from the UNESCO world-heritages sites Palenque and Chichen Itza. You can learn more about that research on my website: https://ripon.academia.edu/TravisNygard


Icon for: What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?
My great grandmother was a K-12 teacher for 54 years, and her advice to teachers was that you should never be afraid to learn new things.

What’s the best advice about teaching you’ve ever received?

My great grandmother was a K-12 teacher for 54 years, and her advice to teachers was that you should never be afraid to learn new things.

Icon for: What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?
I am a 3D movie enthusiast.

What is something your students would be surprised to learn about you?

I am a 3D movie enthusiast.

Icon for: What are you currently reading or watching for fun?

What are you currently reading or watching for fun?

“Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” by Douglas Hofstadter, a playful book that teases out connections between the worlds of math, art, music, literature, and philosophy.



Recent News Updates

Travis Nygard with book cover

Travis Nygard has chapter in newly published book

Associate Professor of Art Travis Nygard has a chapter in the new book A Companion to American Agricultural History, edited by Douglas Hurt and released […]

Travis Nygard Portrait

Travis Nygard publishes journal article about Maya computations

Travis Nygard, associate professor of art history and co-director of the Caestecker Gallery, has published the article “Complex Maya Computations: Math, Time, Astronomy, and Hieroglyphs” […]

Bailey Zanck (left), Aftyn Reinwand (center) and Sarah Nakis

Ripon professor, students contribute to local historical society exhibits

The Ripon Historical Society will hold an ice cream social from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, at the Pedrick-Lawson House museum, one block […]