Catherine Walden

My work in recent years has centered on ethical engagement between UVA and the various communities with which it has come into contact. As a scholar whose work is grounded in history, memory, and placemaking, I am particularly interested in how UVA navigates the complex legacies of difficult past histories in its current-day engagements with communities, globally and locally. The Engagements Program offers a great opportunity to introduce first-year students to these questions right at the beginning of your academic and community-building journey at UVA: What does ‘community’ mean? What are some of the complexities of this particular place in which you now find yourselves? How can you take lessons learned from UVA into future communities of which you will be a part?

I have a PhD in Art History and a Master’s degree in Architectural History, both from the University of Virginia. I work in the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Outreach as a Senior Academic Program Officer (yes, it’s a mouthful), currently directing the Mellon-funded Race, Place, and Equity program. Prior to this, I was the administrator for another Mellon-funded program to support Indigenous Arts at UVA. Though not Indigenous, I am an active member of the Native and Indigenous Relations Community here at UVA, and I am excited to build connections between students and the Native Nation on whose traditional lands UVA sits.