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“A painter doesn’t see
everything he has put in his paintings. It is other people who
find these treasures in it, one by one,
and the richer a painting is in surprises
of this sort, in treasures, the greater its author.”
- Henri Matisse
Dr. Karen Rosell has served as Juniata College's professor of Art History and Chair of the Art Department since 1986. Her education began with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Studio Art from the University of Richmond, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Karen then earned her Master's degree in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University and subsequently received her PhD from Ohio University in Comparative Arts.
For the first ten years of her tenure at Juniata, Karen was the only art historian, taught the entire range of advanced art history courses, from cave paintings to contemporary art, and built the art history program. After years of planning, she was able to convince the administration to expand the program to include a second art historian and a Gallery Director for the Juniata College Museum of Art, which now houses an extensive, prestigious, permanent collection. Along with these improvements in the department, Rosell was also able to develop a “Women in Art” course, which she introduced in the fall of 1998. Among the many honors that have been bestowed upon Dr. Rosell are the 1997 Beachley Distinguished Teaching Award from Juniata College and the Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in the Fine Arts from the University of Richmond in 1996.
On a personal note, Karen has been married to Juniata business professor Jim Donaldson since 1989. She loves cats, and she and her husband share their home with three of them. An avid chocolate lover and exercise fanatic, Karen also has a passion for art, jewelry, and couture. Her favorite places to travel are Paris, Florence and Barcelona where she enjoys the exciting atmosphere of art, culture, food and fashion.