Sheila ffolliott is Professor Emerita of Art History at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, where she taught courses on European art and culture of the 15^th-18^th centuries.  Her research has focused on women’s relationship to art and  architecture in this period, both as patrons and artists.  After the devastating floods of 1966, she volunteered in conservation efforts in Venice and has maintained a love affair with the city ever since.