Dr. Billie J. Follensbee

Details

Education

• PhD, Art History and Archaeology, 2000, University of Maryland, College Park
• MA, Art History and Archaeology, 1994, University of Maryland, College Park
• Certificat de Hautes-Etudes, 1986, Université d’Aix-en-Provence, France
• BA, Modern Foreign Languages, 1987, Castleton State College
• BS, English Communications, 1986, Castleton State College
• AS, Communications, 1985, Castleton State College 

Teaching

• ART 273 Art of Africa, Oceania, & the Americas
• ART 350 Service-Learning in Art History
• ART 487/687 Art of the Americas
• ART 486/686 Art of Africa
• ART 485/685 Art of Mesoamerica
• ART 495 Internship in Art History
• MST 350 Service-Learning in Museum Studies
• ART/MST 488 Basic Conservation of Art and Artifacts
• MST 493 Undergraduate Apprenticeship (Museum Studies)
• MST 495 Internship in Museum Studies

Research and professional interests

• Art history and archaeology of the ancient Americas
• Mesoamerican art history and archaeology
• Fiber technology and textiles in the art and archaeology of the ancient Americas
• Sex and gender studies in art history and archaeology

Selected publications

• "Sex and Gender in Olmec Imagery," invited chapter for Oxford Handbook of the Olmecs, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, In Press 2023.
• "Function Follows Form: Assessing the Functionality of Shells and Greenstone Shell Effigies as Formative Period Mesoamerican Textile Fabrication Tools, Part 1: Tagelus plebeius Atlantic Stout Razor Clam Shells," article, EXARC Journal, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2022.
• "More Testing of Mesoamerican Lunate Artifacts: Possible Loom Weights that were also Twining Tools," article, EXARC Journal, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2021.
• "Testing Mesoamerican Lunate Artifacts as Possible Crescent Loom Weights," article, EXARC Journal, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2020.
• • “Dressing the Part: Power, Dress, Gender, and Representation in the pre-Columbian Americas,” Editor, with Sarahh M. Scher. University Press of Florida, 2017.
•  “The Rogan Plates: Sex and Gender Representation, and the Bird-Human: A Case of Obscuring the Overt,” co-authored with Katie McElfresh Buford. Chapter in “Dressing the Part: Power, Dress, Gender, and Representation in the pre-Columbian Americas”, 2017.
• “More on Olmec Gender-Ambiguous Costume: The Possible Appropriation of Attire as a Symbol of Power,” chapter in Dressing the Part: Power, Dress, Gender, and Representation in the pre-Columbian Americas, 2017.
•  “Los cubos de mineral del hierro: Estudio sistemático de replicación para la valoración de hipótesis” (“The Iron Ore Cubes: Systematic Replication Study for Hypothesis Assessment”), co-authored with Allison Robbins, Alexandra Thrower, Nicholas Deckard, and Sammie Hernandez. Chapter in Arqueología de la Costa del Golfo: Dinámicas de la Interacción Política, Económica e Ideológica, 2017

Awards and honors

• Sabbatical, Missouri State University, 2022
• CASL Faculty Award for Excellence in Service-Learning, 2018
• PSIP, Missouri State University, 2016
• Dumbarton Oaks Research Stipend, 2015
• Faculty Research Grant, Missouri State University, 2015
• Sabbatical, Missouri State University, 2015
• Curriculum Innovation Grant, Missouri State University, 2012-2013
• Selected as Missouri State’s candidate for the Professor of the Year national competition, 2011
• CASL Research Stipend, Missouri State University, 2010-11
• Selected to publish in "Quick Hits for Service-Learning: Successful Strategies by Award-Winning Teachers," Indiana Campus Compact, 2011
• Foundation Award for Teaching, Missouri State University, 2008
• Excellence in Community Service Award, Missouri State University, 2006