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Oakland University
Art and Art History

310 Wilson Hall
Rochester , MI 48309
(location map)
phone: (248) 370-3375
fax: (248) 370-3377

Oakland University
Art and Art History

310 Wilson Hall
Rochester , MI 48309
(location map)
phone: (248) 370-3375
fax: (248) 370-3377

Claude Baillargeon

A headshot of Claude Baillargeon.

Professor of Art History
318 Wilson Hall
(248) 370-3388
[email protected]

EDUCATION
PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2002, Art History
MA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1989, Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism
MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1988, Photography
BAA, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University), 1981, Still Photography Studies

MAJOR FIELDS
Civil engineering and architectural photography, Haussmannization, visual representations of the nuclear experience, contemporary photo-based practices, environmental art, curatorial practices 

COURSES TAUGHT

Art History
AH 1002 Western Art: Renaissance to Present
AH 2000 Critical Thinking and Writing in Art History
AH 3540 / LBS 5902 History of Photography I, 1825 to 1914
AH 3550 / LBS 5902 History of Photography II, 1914 to Present
AH 3710 / LBS 5902 Visual Representations and the Nuclear Experience
AH 3920 Readings in Art History
AH 3996 Independent Research in Art History
AH 4998-4999 Senior Thesis in Art History

Studio Art
ART 2000 Critical Theory and Practice in Art
SA 261 Photography I
SA 361 Advanced Photography
SA 382 Advanced Photography and New Media I
SA 392 / AH 390 Topics: Art, Immigration, and the Formation of Cultural Identity
SA 495 Independent Study in Studio Art

Honors College
HC 2010 Art: Imaging a Shattering Earth
HC 2010 Art: Nuclear Representations: From Trinity to Fukushima

GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, AND DISTINCTIONS
Nominated for Teaching Excellence Award, Senate Teaching and Learning Committee, Oakland University, 2021

Art and Art History Faculty Grant, Oakland University, 2020, 2021, and 2022

Nominated for Outstanding Academic Advising Award, College of Arts and Sciences, Oakland University, 2020

"Order of the Plume" (teaching recognition), College of Arts and Sciences, Oakland University, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019

Honoree (service recognition), Founders' Day Faculty Recognition, Oakland University, 2014

Finalist, Society for Photographic Education, Award for Excellence in Historical, Critical and Theoretical Writing, 2012

"The Gold Standard," Oakland University Magazine, 2011

Faculty Research Grants, University Research Committee, Oakland University, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022

Ansel Adams Research Fellowship, Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Arizona, 2008

Honoree (research recognition), Founders' Day Faculty Recognition, Oakland University, 2004

Faculty Research Fellowships, University Research Committee, Oakland University, 2003 and 2008

Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 1995–97

Doctoral Scholarship, Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, 1993–94

Full-Tuition Merit Scholarship, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1986–89

BOOK CHAPTERS
"McMillan's Chernobyl: An Intimation of the Way the World Would End." In David McMillan, Growth and Decay: Prypiat and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2018), 241–60.

"Enchanting Reimaginings." In Sara Angelucci: Provenance Unknown, 33-41.  Toronto: Art Gallery of York University, 2015.

“Construction Photography in the Service of International Public Relations: The French Connections.” In Nineteenth-Century Photographs and Architecture: Documenting History, Charting Progress, and Exploring the World, ed. Micheline Nilsen, 139-53. Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2013.

“Art Building Begets Building Art: Burtynsky’s AGA Commission.” In Art Gallery of Alberta: Randall Stout Architects, 147–53. Edmonton: Art Gallery of Alberta, 2011.

“Edward Burtynsky & Brent McIntosh: Affinity and Dialectic in Twice Removed.” In Edward Burtynsky & Brent McIntosh: Twice Removed, 5–13. Toronto: Nicholas Metivier Gallery, 2008.

“Vattemare and the Transatlantic Dissemination of Photographic Practices.” In The Extravagant Ambassador: The True Story of Alexandre Vattemare, the French Ventriloquist Who Changed the World, ed. Earle Havens and Pierre-Alain Tilliette, 206–15. Boston: Boston Public Library; Paris: Paris bibliothèques and Le Passage, 2007. Also published in French translation.

“Au service de la propagande du Sacré-Cœur: L’album de travail de Rohault de Fleury.” In L’album photographique: Histoire & conservation d’un objet, 77–94. Champs-sur-Marne, Seine-et-Marne: Section française de l’Institut international de conservation, 2000.

“L'apport de la photographie à la construction.” In Le Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre: Un voeu national, ed. Jacques Benoist, 147–55. Paris: Délégation à l'action artistique de la Ville de Paris, 1995.

CURATED EXHIBITIONS/EDITED CATALOGUES
McMillan's Chernobyl: An Intimation of the Way the World Would End. Oakland University Art Gallery, January 11–March 31, 2019. Public Programming and Events. Rochester, MI: Oakland University Art Gallery, 2019. Also published electronically via https://issuu.com/ouag/docs/mcmillan.

Shadows of the Invisible. Rochester, MI: Oakland University Art Gallery, 2014.

Revolutionizing Cultural Identity: Photography and the Changing Face of Immigration. Rochester, MI: Oakland University Art Gallery, 2008. Exhibition traveled to Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax, NS, 2011. Curatorial essay also published in French translation as insert to catalogue.

Imaging a Shattering Earth: Contemporary Photography and the Environmental Debate. Rochester, MI: Meadow Brook Art Gallery, Oakland University; Toronto: CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, 2005. Exhibition traveled to CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), 2006; Dalhousie Art Gallery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, 2007; Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 2008; and Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2008–09. Curatorial essay also published in French translation as insert to catalogue. 

Dickensian London and the Photographic Imagination. Rochester, MI: Meadow Brook Art Gallery, Oakland University, 2003.

Architects of the Image: Photography in the Heroic Age of Construction / Architectes de l’image: Les photographes à l’âge héroïque des grands travaux. With bilingual interactive digital catalogue, Montréal: Canadian Centre for Architecture/Centre Canadien d’Architecture, 1995.

JOURNAL ARTICLES
"Ishiuchi Miyako. Stills of the Wounded: A North American Emergence / À la lumière des blessures: l'émergence nord-américaine," Ciel variable (Montréal), no. 103 (spring/summer 2016): 48–55. Now online at https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/82533ac.

“Construction Photography and the Rhetoric of Fundraising: The Maison Durandelle Sacré-Coeur Commission,” Visual Resources 27, no. 2 (June 2011): 113–28. Now online at https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/vD6CdtVchQpZjgF64748/full#.Vb_DMfkeqy0.

“Doina Popescu: Envisioning the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre / Doina Popescu présente sa vision de la galerie et du centre de recherche Ryerson,” Ciel variable (Montreal), no. 88 (summer 2011): 56–63. Now online at https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/64862ac.

“La collection Malcolmson: Une passion pour la photographie / The Malcolmson Collection: A Passion for Photography,” Ciel variable (Montréal), no. 85 (summer 2010): 80–82. Now online at https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/63733ac.

“Témoignages de rivalité industrielle: La France et les photographies de grands travaux d’origine étrangère.” Études photographiques, no. 17 (November 2005): 16–43. Now online at https://journals.openedition.org/etudesphotographiques/750.

BOOK REVIEWS
Emanations: The Art of the Cameraless Photograph, by Geoffrey Batchen (Munich: DelMonico Books; New Plymouth, NZ: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 2016) in Ciel variable (Montreal), no. 104 (fall 2016): 93. Now online at https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/83706ac.

Far East, Far West by Benoit Aquin (Montréal: Éditions du Passage, 2009) in Ciel variable (Montreal), no. 86 (fall 2010): 92. Now online at https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/63750ac.

1945—Hiroshima: Les images sources by Michael Lucken (Paris: Hermann, 2008) in Études photographiques (Paris), published on line, November 9, 2009, https://journals.openedition.org/etudesphotographiques/2891.

Time Stands Still: Muybridge and the Instantaneous Photography Movement, by Phillip Prodger (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) in Études photographiques (Paris), no. 15 (November 2004): 152–55. Now online at https://journals.openedition.org/etudesphotographiques/411.

La Mission héliographique: Cinq photographes parcourent la France en 1851 by Anne de Mondenard (Paris: Monum, Éditions du patrimoine, 2002) in Études photographiques (Paris), no. 13 (July 2003): 171–73. Now online at https://journals.openedition.org/etudesphotographiques/343.

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCESAS SPEAKER
“Vattemare’s Transatlantic Network and Its Impact at the École des ponts et chaussées.” “The Silver Atlantic: Photographic Circulations (19th–21st Centuries),” international symposium held at the Jeu de Paume, Paris, October 1, 2021.

Introductory remarks for Alan Weisman, Varner Vitality Lecture and keynote address for “Chernobyl Then and Now: A Global Perspective Symposium,” Oakland Center, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, March 14, 2019.

Host of film screening event, Watermark (2013), directed by Edward Burtynsky and Jennifer Baichwal. Association for Studies in Literature and Environment (ASLE) Conference, Detroit Film Theatre, Detroit, MI, June 23, 2017.

“Imaging Unseen Fallout: Autoradiography and the Denial of Atomic Radioactivity.” “Conflict Resolution,” Society for Photographic Education Midwest conference, Chase Park Plaza, St. Louis, MO, October 8, 2016.

“Classified Casualties and Exposed Trauma: The Photographic Portrayal of Hibakusha.” “Intimacy and Voyeurism,” Society for Photographic Education National Conference, Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, CA, March 23, 2012.

“Representing the Unrepresentable: The Photography of Nuclear Affliction in Postwar Japan,” part of the session “Out of Rubble,” College Arts Association National Conference, Los Angeles Convention Center, CA, February 24, 2012.

“Construction Photography, International Public Relations, and Building Ingenuity.” “Documenting History, Documenting Progress: Nineteenth Century Photographs of Architecture” symposium co-sponsored by the University of Notre-Dame and Indiana University, South Bend, IN, October 3, 2010.

“White Light, Flash Burns, and ‘the Atomic Plague’: Early Casualty Studies of Hibakusha.” “Time for Light,” Society for Photographic Education Midwest Conference, Frostic School of Art, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, October 2, 2010.

Introductory remarks for Kip Fulbeck, keynote speaker. “Facing Diversity: Leveling the Playing Field in the Photographic Arts,” Society for Photographic Education annual conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, PA, March 6, 2010.

“Mimesis, Memorialization, and the Photographic Representation of Hibakusha,” part of the session “Visual Witnessing: Photography and World War II,” “Feeling Photography” conference co-sponsored by The Centre for the Study of the United States, University of Toronto and the Toronto Photography Seminar. Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, October 17, 2009.

“Building Sacré-Coeur: Construction Photography and the Rhetoric of Fund-Raising,” part of the session “Photography and Architecture: Shaping a New Dialogue,” College Arts Association National Conference, Los Angeles Convention Center, CA, February 26, 2009.

“Poisoned Ecologies: Imaging Reckless Stewardship and Collateral Damage,” part of the session “Visualizing Environmentalism,” “Global Photographies: Histories, Theories, Practices” conference. Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland, June 27, 2007.

“Dickensian London and the Photographic Imagination.” Curator’s tour of exhibition, plenary session, Eighth Annual Dickens Society Symposium, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, October 10, 2003.

“Au service de la propagande du Sacré-Coeur: L’album de travail de Rohault de Fleury,” part of session “Histoire d’album,” “L’album photographique: Histoire et conservation d’un objet,” Journées d’études du groupe Photographie de la Section Française de l’Institut International de Conservation, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris, November 27, 1998.

PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES—AS SESSION CHAIR
Conference organizer and morning session moderator, “Chernobyl Then and Now: A Global Perspective Symposium,” with Serhii Plokhii, Mary Mycio, and Adriana Petryna, Meadow Brook Hall, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, March 15, 2019.

Session chair, “Nuclear Families: From Trinity to Nagasaki,” with Mary Kavanagh, Mark Klett, and Katy McCormick. “Family Values,” Society for Photographic Education annual conference, Hilton Orlando, FL, March 11, 2017.

Session chair, “Shadows of the Invisible,” with Susan kae Grant, Marie-Jeanne Musiol, and Michael Flomen. “Toronto, Montréal, Lille. The Inventions of Light: A Biennial of Artistic Exchange / Les inventions de la lumière: Biennale d’échanges artistiques,” 6th ed., School of Image Arts, Ryerson University, Toronto, February 26, 2016.

Session chair, “Representing Diversity: Art, Immigration, and the Affirmation of Cultural Identity,” with Sara Angelucci, Rafael Goldchain, and Christina Leslie. “Facing Diversity: Leveling the Playing Field in the Photographic Arts,” Society for Photographic Education annual conference, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, PA, March 6, 2010.

Session chair, “Beauty and Terror in Traumatic Landscapes and Poisoned Ecologies,” with John Ganis, David Maisel, and David McMillan. “Agents of Change: Art and Advocacy,” Society for Photographic Education annual conference, Adam’s Mark Hotel, Denver, CO, March 14, 2008.

SELECTED GUEST LECTURES
“The Photography of the Chernobyl Aftermath.” Part of the “OU Scholars Hit the Road” lecture series hosted by The War Memorial, Grosse Pointe, MI, January 29, 2020.


“Construction Photography and the Rhetoric of Fundraising: The Maison Durandelle Sacré-Coeur Commission.” 8th Annual Authors at Oakland University event organized by the Senate Library Committee, March 20, 2013.

“The Photography of Poisoned Ecologies.” Part of the “Sustaining the Earth” lecture series sponsored by the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, November 9, 2008.

“Le Londres de Charles Dickens et l’imaginaire photographique.” Monthly seminar “Les discours du photographique” led by André Gunthert (EHESS) and Michel Poivert (Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne). École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris, May 17, 2004.

“Envisioning Paris, London, and New York: Photographic Art and the Urban Experience.” A three-part lecture series sponsored by The Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts. Held at The Women’s Art Association of Canada, Toronto, April 19, April 26, and May 3, 2004.

“Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth-Century: A City and Its Photographers in Search of Modern Identities.” Lecture tour sponsored by the Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française, Washington, D.C.

  • Alliance Française, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, March 4, 2003 (in English)
  • The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, March 3, 2003 (in English)
  • Chapman University, Orange, CA, March 1, 2003 (in French)
  • The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, February 28, 2003 (in English)
  • St. Agnes Academy, Memphis, TN, February 26, 2003 (in French)
  • High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, February 25, 2003 (in English)

“American Photographic Modernism and Its Pictorialist Antecedents.” Art Gallery of Hamilton, April 10, 2002.