UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Palmer Museum of Art has named Penn State College of Arts and Architecture doctoral candidates Holli Turner and Amy Orner as the inaugural recipients of the O’Connor Graduate Fellowship.
The fellowship, made possible by a fund established by the late John C. O’Connor Jr., who earned a bachelor of science in earth and mineral sciences from Penn State in 1938, and the late Dorothy B. O’Connor, recognizes outstanding graduate students in art history, art education or a related field in the College of Arts and Architecture who have demonstrated an interest in museum work. Preference is given to students who have previously worked for the Palmer or identified works in the permanent collection that are relevant to their research.
The fellowship provides students with funding to support a semester of dissertation research and writing.
“We were impressed by the proposed projects submitted by Holli and Amy and are delighted to support our former Palmer graduate assistants as they complete their dissertations,” said Joyce Robinson, assistant director of the Palmer Museum of Art. “We expect great things from them and look forward to witnessing the launch of their professional careers.”
Holli Turner
Turner is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Art History specializing in early modern art, with a focus on the art of Italy, Spain and the Americas. Awarded the O’Connor Fellowship for the 2025-26 academic year, Turner travelled to Spain where she completed archival research for her dissertation.
While at the Archivo General in Simancas, she studied the tangled correspondence between the Venetian painter Titian — the figure at the center of her dissertation — and the Spanish Crown. The dissertation is a re-reading of Titian's poesie — a canonical series of paintings for King Philip II of Spain — through the lens of violence and imperialism.
“Receiving the O’Connor Fellowship was not only critical in helping me to advance my research, but it gave me a measure of confidence that my topic is timely and meaningful to the discipline,” Turner said. “I am profoundly honored to be the first recipient of this fellowship, and deeply appreciative to the people and communities who have helped me along in my research.”
Daniel Zolli, associate professor of art history and Turner’s doctoral adviser, said that Turner’s research has the potential to transform art historical understanding of Italian Renaissance art and even to forge new paths for the entire discipline.
“Holli’s enthusiasm for object-based study work is contagious; her interest in curatorial work, palpable; and her ability to find new, surprising aspects even in the most exhaustively studied works of Italian Renaissance art — and to ask new and different questions of those works — strikes me as unique,” Zolli said. “We’re really proud of Holli and eager to witness the contributions she’s poised to make to the discipline as both a scholar and curator.”
After completing her doctorate, Turner said she plans to pursue a curatorial career, ideally in museums or galleries with strengths in European painting.
Amy Orner
Orner is a doctoral candidate specializing in 18th-century British architecture and urbanism, with a focus on the British Empire and its effects on architecture. Her research questions consider the social and political influences on architecture, as well as the influence of the empire on Scottish town planning.
During the O’Connor Fellowship period within the 2026-27 academic year, Orner will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, to gather the final archival documents for her dissertation, and to write the last dissertation chapter, which focuses on how the British Empire shaped public buildings in Edinburgh’s New Town area.
“I am so grateful to the Palmer Museum and the O’Connors for the support,” Orner said. “Professionally, it gives me the opportunity to finish my dissertation and prepare for the next steps in my career, while personally, it is wonderful to feel supported in my research.”
Robin Thomas, head of the Department of Art History and Orner’s doctoral adviser, said Orner’s research will offer a fresh and compelling interpretation of the city’s architectural and urban development, placing it within the context of the British Empire.
By tracking how the city was shaped by colonial wealth and ambition, Thomas explained that Orner’s research challenges long‑standing narratives and makes vital contributions to 18th‑century urban studies and architectural history.
“I am thrilled that Amy has received the O’Connor Graduate Fellowship,” Thomas said. “This well-deserved support will be invaluable as she completes her dissertation on Edinburgh’s New Town.”
After graduation, Orner said she plans to pursue a career as a higher education faculty member while continuing her research.