Ingrid Furniss
Other Titles
- Chair of the Architectural Studies Program
Degrees
- Ph.D. (Chinese art and archaeology), Princeton University
- M.A. (Asian Studies), Washington University
Prof. Ingrid Furniss is a Professor of Art History and Chair of the Architectural Studies Program at Lafayette College, as well as an Asian art appraiser. A specialist in East Asian art, architecture, and archaeology, her research focuses on early Chinese music archaeology and iconography.
Academic Background & Research
Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in Chinese Art and Archaeology from Princeton University, M.A. in Asian Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Puget Sound.
Institute for Advanced Study: Awarded the Edward T. Cone Membership in Music Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton (School of Historical Studies), where she conducted research for her second book.
Research Focus: Blending her background as a violist with art history and archaeology, Prof. Furniss investigates ancient musical instruments, performance depictions, and their intersections with gender, ethnicity, and socio-cultural marginality in pre-modern China.
Major Publications:
Music in Ancient China: An Archaeological and Art Historical Study of Strings, Winds, and Drums during the Eastern Zhou and Han Periods (2008), recipient of the 2010 Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize from the American Musical Instrument Society.
Lutes and Marginality in Pre-Modern China: Art History, Archaeology, and Music Iconography (2024).
Curatorial Work, Teaching & Administrative Leadership
Exhibition Curation: Curated several notable art exhibitions, with a particular focus on Japanese woodblock prints. Highlights include Lust and Leisure in Edo Japan (2010) and Utagawa Hiroshige’s Tōkaidō Road Series (2021), organized in partnership with regional collections such as the Allentown Art Museum.
Teaching & Appraising: In addition to her practice as an Asian art appraiser, she teaches courses on East Asian, Indian, and world art and architecture, capstone senior seminars, and First-Year Seminars on intercultural exchange along the Silk Road.
Past Administrative Leadership: Served in key senior executive roles at Lafayette College, including Dean of Arts and Humanities, Interim Dean of the Faculty, and Dean of the Faculty.
Honors & Recognition: Recipient of the Marquis Distinguished Teaching Award and the Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Lecture Award.