Introduction
Dr. Nygaard’s research examines how art, museums, and cultural heritage shape public understandings of conflict, trauma, memory, and identity. With a particular focus on Southern Africa, she investigate the legacies of colonialism, apartheid, fascism, and white supremacy in modern and contemporary visual culture. Her current scholarship explores South African artist Jane Alexander’s engagement with displacement, political violence, and the transnational histories connecting Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa, and contemporary expressions of authoritarianism. Dr. Nygaard also research museum ethics, provenance, restitution, and the transformation of sites associated with trauma. As Director of Museum Studies, she co-directs a collaborative digital humanities projects focused on Asmat cultural heritage, including the creation of a digital archive that supports ethical access, cross-cultural partnership, and visual repatriation. Across these areas, her work considers how artists and cultural institutions negotiate difficult histories and contribute to practices of remembrance, accountability, and repair.