Jean Ann Dabb

Associate Professor of Art History

For Jean Ann Dabb, one course incollege transformed her life. That course was art history.

Now, UMW Associate Professor Dabb wants to be the transformer. Nothing could be more thrilling to her than to have students in her Survey of Western Art course come up to her and say they are hooked.

Her ability to reel in students is one reason she netted a unique dual distinction at Commencement 2009. Dabb, 51, was the first professor to win two
of UMW’s prestigious faculty awards in the same year. She was recipient of the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award, which is annually presented by graduating seniors to the professor they “are most likely to remember as the one who had the greatest impact on their lives.”

Before she even had a chance to bask in the glow of that special and unexpected honor, Dabb was called back to the podium in order to receive the Grellet C. Simpson Award. Named for a former Mary Washington president, the award is presented to a faculty member identified by students, alumni, and faculty as an outstanding, gifted, and dedicated teacher.

“I was overwhelmed,” Dabb said. “Both awards are tremendously important and mean so much to me.”

In presenting the awards at Commencement, Acting Provost Nina Mikhalevsky said that letters of nomination highlighted Dabb’s “remarkable energy and engagement in the classroom, the way she makes the material come alive, and her unwavering dedication to her students. “

In fact, Mikhalevsky added, one student praised Dabb for embodying “the holy grail of academic standards for a professor:  tough but fair.” The student added, “Neither lax nor Draconian, all of her efforts in the classroom are geared toward student learning, for all students….  As a teacher, she makes difficult or dry material interesting – not everyone may be interested in the minutiae of medieval monastery art or Roman city planning, but she is able to bring them to life and relevance with fascinating tales of monk espionage and slanderous Roman graffiti.”

Chair of the art history department, Dabb takes great pride in UMW’s growing number of art history majors. Her Paris seminar and Egyptian art course always are filled to capacity. Tapping into her passion for mosaic art, Dabb also has developed and taught a course on the history and techniques of mosaics. That course successfully merges art history and studio practice.

Dabb also organizes monthly opportunities for students to showcase their artwork in the Fredericksburg Visitor Center downtown.

Because she worked closely with and respected Mary Pinschmidt, that award was especially touching for Dabb. The annual award was established in 1998 after the death of the 34-year veteran biology teacher.

In presenting the award at Commencement, studio art and art history major Alexandra Meier ’09 said of Dabb: “Students describe her as kind, passionate, and inspirational. She is a professor who wants her students to succeed and willingly devotes time to them beyond the classroom. Her door is always open and she is quick to offer a greeting, answer questions, or just talk.”

Meier continued, “She is so dedicated, in fact, that during times of illness, other professors have to force her out the door of Melchers so she can go home and get better.”

Dabb, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in the fall of 2005, suffered a recurrence during the 2008-09 academic year. But Dabb, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, didn’t miss a beat. She finished up her fall classes, had surgery during the winter break, and returned during the first week of classes in January.

“Maintaining a normal routine is therapeutic for me,” she said. “And students always keep me engaged.”

After a brief teaching stint at Notre Dame, Dabb came to Mary Washington in 1992 and found it was the “perfect match” for her. “It’s small enough to know folks in other departments,” she said, “but large enough for diversity.” A Utah native, Dabb earned her bachelor of arts in English and studio art at Weber State University. Inspired by her single undergraduate exposure to art history, she went on to earn both a master of arts and doctorate in the field – the master’s from University of Massachusetts and the doctorate from University of Michigan.

Along the way, Dabb has become a classic film buff, especially regarding all things Hitchcock, and she has become hooked on mosaics. In addition to making mosaics of her own – also very therapeutic, she said – Dabb organized and curated an international exhibition last fall at UMW.  Aptly named Inspired by…Contemporary Mosaics and the Historical Tradition, the show won widespread acclaim.