Matthew Perkins earned his B.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2023, graduating with a double major in Art History and Italian Studies and receiving special recognition for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. During his undergraduate years, he studied abroad twice in Bologna, Italy, gaining immersive experience in Italian language and culture. Matthew also served as the social media representative for the Italian Department and as president of the Italian Club. He worked as a research assistant to Dr. Annachiara Mariani on the project “The Implication of ‘Straight Washing’ in Leonardo and Other Historical Series Set in the Renaissance.”

 

He went on to complete an M.A. in History at East Tennessee State University, with a focus on Pre-Modern Europe and 20th-century American Studies. Under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Maxson, he wrote a thesis titled “Performative Masculinity in Ducal Literature in Florence (1520–1580).” In 2024, Matthew received the Sherrod Library Excellence in Research Scholarship for his paper, “AIDS, Art, and Activism: The Contextual Understanding of Gran Fury Through its Visual Media (1981–1996).” During his graduate studies, he also held leadership roles, including Assistant Organizer for the Appalachian Premodernist and Co-Chair of the Annual Graduate Student Research Conference for the 2024–2025 academic year.

 

Matthew has taught and assisted in courses on Pre-Modern European history, American history, introductory Italian, Italian cinema, and Italian culture at both ETSU and UTK, both in the United States and abroad. He has also taught Italian 314: Highlights of Italian Civilization, Culture, and Identity for three consecutive summers as part of the University of Tennessee’s Summer Abroad program in Bologna, under the supervision of Dr. Annachiara Mariani.