Foreword

28 October 2021 

When we started working on this issue in November 2020 we were aware that the unprecedented global turmoil – which we have all been navigating since early 2020 – would place particular challenges in our path. That we have an issue is entirely thanks to the hard work and dedication of all the authors and editorial board, and we are immeasurably grateful for the tenacity, resilience, and innovation that they have all demonstrated over the course of the past year. It is a reflection of the strong collegial spirit within our vibrant research community that an issue of this quality has been produced by a team who, in most cases, have only ever met virtually and often from different time zones.  

We are also extremely grateful to all the peer reviewers who, despite their own increased workloads in the past academic year, have so generously given their time and expertise to Aspectus. We are also hugely thankful for the support we have received from within the  History of Art department at York, and particularly for the time offered by Dr Richard McClary and Dr Cordula van Wyhe who read through the final article proofs. This year special thanks are also due to two founding members of Aspectus, Dr Blair Apgar and Caitlin Doley, who have continued to provide their advice, support, and time to ensuring the success of Aspectus. 

Aspectus was founded to provide a platform that would showcase the quality and diversity of research being undertaken within our large research community. Issue Three continues in this spirit and we hope that you will enjoy discovering the breadth of active research which has been produced within the department, despite the challenges, over the past year. 

We reiterate our thanks to all who have contributed to Aspectus this year and also welcome Eliza Goodpasture, Reviews Editor for this issue, to the role of Editor-in-Chief for the 2021-2022 issue. We look forward to continuing to share and celebrate the successes of our research community in next year’s issue. 

Signed,

Charlotte Davis & Katerina Perdiki 

Editors-in-Chief, 2020-2021