Tracing Academia documents the physical spaces of universities that shaped the modern world. The importance of independent thought and free expression grew out of these institutions. The series was conceptualized as I visited universities when my children were choosing colleges. As a parent and educator, I was struck by the role that academic interiors play in defining the college experience.

Upon reflection on the history of the university, I began to travel to some of the oldest universities in Europe. Inside these buildings, I see the juxtaposition of medieval and contemporary. Today’s students, characterized by their multi-ethnic gender-fluid makeup, their informal attitudes and attire, and their hi-tech adornments, live and work in university spaces imbued with formality, under the gaze of portraits of mono-ethnic men in rooms designed for students using pen and ink.

Academic interiors provide the scaffolding for Western intellectual thought. The room design, the furniture that remains, and the curated collections echo those who passed before me. The museum collections pay tribute to the Western history of conquest and colonization. The architecture and design of academic institutions shape the interior cerebral landscape of students who pass through these halls. For centuries these students became political, artistic, scientific, and technological leaders, creating the landscapes of the world today.

The photographs speak to the attacks on culture, history, art, and science. The foundations of education and democracy, and universities themselves, are at risk. Knowledge and truth are suppressed, intellectual leaders are ignored, and facts are erased.