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Jill Mollenhauer
Professor of Art History
Art
[email protected]Office Hours
Tuesday - [16:00 to 17:00]
Thursday - [16:00 to 17:00]
Friday - [12:00 to 15:00]
Biography
I studied non-western art as an undergraduate at UC, Los Angeles before moving to UC, San Diego to pursue my graduate degree.Research Interests
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Research interests focus culturally on the art of the Olmec, specifically monumental sculpture. Thematically, my research addresses issues of social memory, commemoration, landscape, space, and agency.
Teaching Interests
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Teaching interests include the indigenous arts of the Americas and modern Latin America, as well as art theory and criticism and art historical methodologies. Pedagogically I strive to engage students in active learning environments in which student research and discussion are prominent.
Education
PhD in Art History, Theory, and Criticism
University of California, San Diego
BA in Art History (Non-Western emphasis)
University of California, Los Angeles
Published Works
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Mollenhauer, L. J. (2025). Olmec Monumental Sculpture. (pp 608-625). Oxford University Press.
Mollenhauer, L. J. . Likeness, Presence, and Portraiture in Olmec Art. (pp 38). .
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2025). The Olmec: Mother of Mesoamerican Civilizations. The Ancients/ History Hit Podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-olmec-mother-of-mesoamerican-civilisations/id1520403988?i=1000719796223
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2025). Olmec Masks and Masquerade, an introduction. Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/olmec-masks-masquerade/?tl=olmec-masks-masquerade&sidebar=north-america-before-1500
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2024). Implications of Rock Art Aesthetics in Olmec Sculpture. Latin American Antiquity, https://www-cambridge-org.aurarialibrary.idm.oclc.org/core/journals/latin-american-antiquity
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2023). Olmec Colossal Heads. Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/olmec-colossal-heads/?tl=olmec-colossal-heads&sidebar=north-america-before-1500
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2023). The Lord of Las Limas. Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/the-lord-of-las-limas/
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2023). Vital Voids: Cavities and Holes in Mesoamerican Material Culture, by Andrew Finegold. Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture/ University of California Press, https://online.ucpress.edu/lalvc/article-abstract/5/2/147/195948/Review-Vital-Voids-Cavities-and-Holes-in
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2022). Ancient Americas: the Olmec Heads. The Ancients podcast/ History Hit, https://access.historyhit.com/videos/ancient-americas-the-olmec-heads
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2021). Review of Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica: From Figurines to Sculpture by Julia Guernsey. CAA Reviews/ Taylor and Francis, https://www.caareviews.org/reviews/3842
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2014). Sculpting the Past in Preclassic Mesoamerica. Ancient Mesoamerica, 25(1), 11-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0956536114000042.
Mollenhauer, L. J. (2010). Olmec Monuments as Agents of Social Memory. University of California, San Diego.