Jourdain Barton

Dr. Gamble Madsen is a powerhouse of scholarship, experience, resources, guidance, and both friendly and professional advice. Her instruction shaped my interests as an art historian and prepared me for the challenging, engaging, and transformative education I have received in UCSC’s department of History of Art and Visual Culture. Recently, Gamble wrote letters of recommendation as I prepared for graduate studies: upon her recommendation, I have been accepted into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s MFA in Writing. Gamble is an exceptionally talented, curious, and passionate lecturer, a master of translating difficult material without condescension or self-importance, and an accessible mentor who treats her students as intellectual peers. Gamble was the first instructor to see worth in me, even when I did not: her classes remain—even after a university education and acceptance into a prestigious art school—the touchstone for my approach to scholarship, pedagogy, and the alchemy of the arts. I count her as a friend: among the many talented instructors I met in my time at MPC, she is the one individual who I can say changed the entire trajectory of my life. This community, this institution, and her students past, present, and future are incredibly fortunate to share in her magic.

Leigh Anne Argueza 

If it were not for Dr. Gamble Madsen’s enthusiasm for Monterey Peninsula College’s Art History department, I believe that I would have never considered pursuing a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts and Museum Studies after graduation. But when I enrolled in the first of five courses taken under Dr. Madsen’s instruction, I immediately found how enticing and exhilarating it became to dissect different artistic movements, cultures, themes, and perspectives in the arts, which I returned with gratitude for their influential lessons on our contemporary world. One of the greatest pleasures is researching visual culture and having the ability to reference the process, materials, artists, or concepts that lead to its creation. I am grateful for the confidence and invaluable knowledge that Dr. Madsen’s courses have offered me as a contributor to the preservation and interpretation of visual culture.