In February 2026, the Program in Medieval Studies organized a field trip to The Met Cloisters. The group — comprised of undergraduates, faculty, staff, and graduate students — visited the exhibition “Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages,” which “explores the often-overlooked themes of desire, sexuality, and gender in the medieval past, a period of time when most artistic production served religious purposes.”
The exhibition, which is on view until March 29, was curated by Melanie Holcomb and Nancy Thebaut. Holcomb led the Medieval Studies group through a tour of the exhibition, offering insight into the curatorial process and the key objects that illustrate desire in the Middle Ages.
Read a reflection from graduate student Megan Coates on the Department of Art & Archaeology website.
