Embracing the Power of Storytelling Through the Arts
Q&A with Author
Jennifer Dasal
January 2026
Jennifer Dasal
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnstone
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnstone
By Susan M. Rostan
Jennifer Dasal recently discussed The Club with fellow art enthusiast Susan M. Rostan.
I understand that you didn't grow up as an artist, with an artist's identity, as some art historians do. You've worn so many hats in your various careers, including curator, podcaster, author, and lecturer. How have these different roles shaped your perspective on art history and yourself?
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I think the most important thing that I like to draw as a through line for all of them is the power of storytelling. That's how I got into art history. I had a really great teacher, and he told interesting stories that opened up the world of art history for me in a way I hadn't experienced before. So, I stopped seeing art as just objects and began seeing them as things with lives of their own and began creating the narrative of how the work was created, who created it, and why it was made. And I love that, and that's something that I think you have to carry through as a curator as well, to be able to share the story of a work of art with a museum visitor, other academics, if they're writing catalogs or reading your catalogs, and with podcasting and writing books. Whether in a short wall label for a work of art, or in a longer project like a book, storytelling is what is most important to me, the line that I draw between all of them.
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"Sometimes there's so much opportunity that it just binds you without you even realizing it. Being open to that kind of opportunity and open to change is something that I've learned to embrace along the way." ~ Jennifer Dasal |
Many of Sanctuary's readers have taken unexpected turns in their own careers, myself included. Looking back, how have unanticipated opportunities guided your own path?
Every path I've taken has found me. None of this was anything I sought out to do — it just all fell into my lap in some ways. That doesn't mean I haven't worked hard or haven't sought things out when I've seen an opportunity arise. But I think it's been important for me to realize that sometimes there's a bigger plan that maybe I'm not aware of, or that small things can guide you in your next direction. Sometimes there's so much opportunity that it just binds you without you even realizing it. Being open to that kind of opportunity and open to change is something that I've learned to embrace along the way.
Many of Sanctuary's readers have taken unexpected turns in their own careers, myself included. Looking back, how have unanticipated opportunities guided your own path?
Every path I've taken has found me. None of this was anything I sought out to do — it just all fell into my lap in some ways. That doesn't mean I haven't worked hard or haven't sought things out when I've seen an opportunity arise. But I think it's been important for me to realize that sometimes there's a bigger plan that maybe I'm not aware of, or that small things can guide you in your next direction. Sometimes there's so much opportunity that it just binds you without you even realizing it. Being open to that kind of opportunity and open to change is something that I've learned to embrace along the way.
Arguably, opportunities come to a prepared mind. How did this play out in your writing The Club?
I came to write The Club because on my previous book tour, I had mentioned that I personally love stories about women. I've always loved women artists in particular, and that's been my favorite realm to read about and study.
I came to write The Club because on my previous book tour, I had mentioned that I personally love stories about women. I've always loved women artists in particular, and that's been my favorite realm to read about and study.
Click book cover for excerpt in Sanctuary.
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Somebody asked me, ‘Have you ever heard of the American Girls Club?’ [a sanctuary hub offering housing, community, and artistic support for American women artists in Belle Époque Paris, c. late 19th/early 20th century] And I said, ‘No.’ I thought it sounded like a historical romance novel, but the idea of the American Girls Club in Paris delighted me, so I looked it up. It was a real place, and I thought it was fascinating that I'd never heard about it before, and that very few people had. No one had really done an in-depth study of it. There is a blog associated with it, and there was a magazine article in Women's Art Journal 15 to 20 years ago, but there really hadn't been a book yet. I thought, what a fabulous opportunity, especially since it just happened to be about subject matter and a time period I love, things I already had research and background experience in. It just felt like things came together wonderfully to bring this project to fruition.
What surprised you most about bringing “The Club” to life?
The club's very existence was a surprise to me. It's the club's specificity that makes it so interesting: it was for American women artists. It's fascinating that it was not only very needed but also a specific community that the club was created to support. There's so much resonance in that today for organizations that can support women, especially artists. Yes, obviously, I agree.
This was needed then, and it's still needed. When we study these artists, we learn they studied in one atelier or another in Paris, not realizing that there was an attempt to bring them together so they could nurture each other – something that might be absent in the schools they attended. |
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Beyond the club's existence, were there any surprises that you discovered?
The other most interesting thing is the impact that these women had once they returned to the U.S. I'm thinking about Alice Rumph from Birmingham, Alabama, and how some of the women who came back started their own city art clubs and galleries that grew into many of the smaller or mid-size museums in the U.S. The Birmingham Art Museum grew from this little art club that Alice Rumph and her cohort started. |
"I am also thinking about the fact that some of these women returned to become teachers for the next generation of artists." ~ Jennifer Dasal |
I am also thinking about the fact that some of these women returned to become teachers for the next generation of artists. I just adored learning that Anne Goldthwaite taught Stanley Kubrick when he was a little boy. I thought that was a fascinating story. I don't know how much influence she may have had on his style, but I like to think it had an impact, especially at that young age, with that kind of artistic exposure and exposure to making. I think that could have only helped. I believe these women played a much greater role in molding that next generation than people may have previously thought.
That's a wonderful observation, an important one for us to consider.
I hope it's true.
Beyond your professional endeavors, what kinds of interactions with the world give you a sense of satisfaction and joy?
Oh, gosh, nature, animals, children, all things.
Many of us search for places of balance and renewal in our lives, especially when doing intense work like research. Where do you find Sanctuary in your life?
A good book is my favorite place. I'm constantly reading. I'm the person who picks up a book, reads it, puts it down, and immediately picks up the next one. I should probably do other things as well…have more hobbies. But that's my favorite.
A good book is my favorite place. I'm constantly reading. I'm the person who picks up a book, reads it, puts it down, and immediately picks up the next one. I should probably do other things as well…have more hobbies. But that's my favorite.
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Jennifer Dasal is an art historian, lecturer, and tour director. She earned her M.A. in Art History from Notre Dame University and pursued Ph.D. work at Penn State University. She previously served as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the North Carolina Museum of Art. She hosted the worldwide hit podcast ArtCurious, which inspired her nonfiction book ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History (Penguin, 2020). Jennifer frequently lectures and leads international tours focused on artists such as Vermeer, Van Gogh, Kahlo, and O'Keeffe.
Her most recent book on art history, The Club: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris (Bloomsbury), was published in July 2025 and is excerpted in Sanctuary this month. |
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Author Appearance Bookmarks Winston-Salem, NC Saturday, February 7, 2026 Author Lecture Falmouth Arts Center Cape Cod, MA Thursday, April 2, 2026 "ArtCurious" Lecture Saint Louis Art Museum Saint Louis, MO Thursday, April 23, 2026 |
Susan M. Rostan is a visual artist, educational researcher, and the author of Digging: Lifting the Memorable from Within the Unthinkable, a work of creative nonfiction. She has written well-received articles in The Journal of Creative Behavior and Creativity Research Journal as well as chapters in diverse books on creativity. She has an MFA from Long Island University and a doctorate in gifted education from Columbia University. Dr. Rostan has directed the Rostan Art School since 1970, conducted extensive research in children's artistic development, and has served as an adjunct professor in Hofstra University's School of Education.
