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About the Lecturer

DIANE JOHNSON HANDLOSER grew up in Northern California, where she attended Folsom High School and the University of California at Davis. A childhood fascination with her family's French heritage led her to a major in political science, with an emphasis in European government, and a minor in French. During her junior year in college while studying at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of the University of Bordeaux, France, she discovered what would become her overriding interest in the history of art. History came alive for her with new intensity while walking the narrow streets of Vezelay, wandering through the galleries of the Louvre, and gazing at the frescoes of Giotto in Padua.

Upon return to UC, Davis, she completed her political science degree, and began her formal study of the history of art. In 1967, she contributed to the catalogue of the exhibition France and California: The Impact of French Art and Culture on Early California. She then moved to UCLA in art history, supported by an NDEA fellowship for future college teachers. A grant in 1969 facilitated further travel in Europe to research her thesis on Northern Renaissance iconography. In 1970, she received a Master's Degree in the History of Art.

SHE JOINED the faculty of Santa Barbara City College in 1970, and is currently Professor of the History of Art. She has served on numerous college committees through the years, chairing the Improvement of Instruction Committee, and serving as chair of the Art Department. A devoted teacher, Diane has involved herself in activities which most directly support her work in the classroom.

Extensive travel and photography of art historical sites and monuments (such as the Gothic cathedrals of France, and ancient sites like Mycenae, Epidaurus and Olympia in Greece) have enhanced not only her own understanding, but have enriched the visual slide library used by the Art Department.

SHE HAS RECEIVED numerous Faculty Enrichment and Improvement of Instruction grants for teaching innovations. She was recently involved in the federally funded LARC/FIPSE grant for the Instructional Improvement Project on Classroom Research. She co-authored with Music Professor Jack Ullom the art history component of a laser disc program used in SBCC Music Appreciation classes. She has been on the faculty of the Honors Program since its inception. In 1990, she was voted Outstanding Faculty Member of the Santa Barbara City College Honors Program.

During her 1990-1991 sabbatical, she spent her time in study and travel aimed at revising the curriculum of SBCC's Art Appreciation course to include more examples of world art. To that end, she visited archeological sites, such as Teotihuacan and the Templo Mayor in Mexico City, as well as the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. and the Precolumbian, African and Asian collections in New York City. She is an active member of Friends of Ethnic Art and the Contemporary Arts Forum, and currently serves on the Education Committee of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

DIANE HANDLOSER MARRIED John S. Handloser, Jr. in 1973. He is Vice President of Far West Technology in Goleta. They have two children, Hope 13, and Gretchen, 10. Diane enjoys being involved in the children's school and sports activities, and spends weekends working with her husband on the restoration of their old Spanish–style house.

The Lecture >>