Bringing the weird and wonderful
world of art history to light.
Who am I?
Hi, I'm Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, PhD. I'm a recovering professor of art history who left my academic position to find new ways to share the thrilling, weird, and maddening stories about art and history with more people. My superpower is finding ways to connect art history to everything.
These days, I am happily at work uncovering Disneyland's hidden art history, such as Victorian hair art in the Haunted Mansion or cheeky parodies of the Mona Lisa in Pinocchio's Daring Journey. I also have a middle-grade mystery series underway.
I'm also a co-founder of ARTSQ, an award-winning educator, a museum and TV program consultant, an editor, and an educational video producer. Somewhere in there, I am also a photographer who tries to sleep and wrangle kids.
Putting art history to work in the world.
Did you know?
🔴 In Mexico, artists used crushed bugs to create a glorious red paint. And guess what? We still use it today as a dye and food coloring. Hello, carmine and Red-4!
🚽 In New York City, a urinal changed the course of art in the 20th century. Don't worry, it wasn't used. I don't think....
🏛️ In Rome, the oldest monument in the city is from . . . ancient Egypt. It was brought to Rome a long time ago. And it is not the only one in the city.
🏰 In Los Angeles, Disneyland uses hundreds of art historical references from around the world—not all kid-friendly. I've been collecting these references for more than 20 years.
Books
Recent Musings on the Blog
