Angel Evans in France.

A doctoral student in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, Angel Evans completed part of her research in Paris and Aix-En-Provence, France during summer semester 2023 with support of the Phyllis Krumm Memorial International Scholarship. Her research project, "The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire," is investigating how Black Madonna relics, i.e. “Vierges Noires,” symbolically circulate at the intersection of race, gender, national history and identity.

Beyond documenting the actual relic sites, Evans gained real-time experience at internationally renowned research locations such as the National Library of France’s Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand.

“The field work and archival material I’ve gathered will have a significant impact on the future direction of my study—particularly as I move toward my dissertation. With gratitude, I am glad to have completed this global project with the financial support of the Phyllis Krumm Award,” said Evans.