Dr. Carol Zemel

Professional Background

Dr. Carol Zemel is currently Professor Emerita at York University (Canada). She holds a PhD in Art History from Columbia University in the United States. As a J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Fellow, Dr. Zemel will be conducting research for her project entitled “Art in Extremis: Visual Representation of the Holocaust from Within.”

Dr. Zemel has reading and speaking abilities in French and Yiddish. She can also read Dutch and German.

Dr. Zemel is the author of three monographs the most recent of which is titled Looking Jewish: Visual Culture and Modern Diaspora (Indiana University Press, 2015). She has written several articles, the most recent of which was “In the Mosaic: Jewish Identities in Canadian Performance and Installation Art” in Canadian Theatre Review (Winter 2013: 13-19). She has also presented at several conferences including the Association for Jewish Studies, where she twice served on Board of Directors, the College Art Association (CAA), the University Arts Association of Canada (UAAC), and the World Jewish Congress (Jerusalem). She is a member of the Editorial Board of Images, A Journal of Visual Art and Visual Culture.  

Fellowship Research

While in residence at the Mandel Center, Dr. Zemel’s research focused on visual art made during the Holocaust by Jews and other concentration camp prisoners. She relied on the Museum’s photo and image archives for much of this research.

Dr. Zemel was in residence at the Mandel Center until April 30, 2017.