Dr. Cherise Smith

Biography

Cherise Smith is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in American art since 1945 with a focus on the intersections of politics, identity, race, and gender. Her book, 'Enacting Politics Identity: Eleanor Antin, Nikki S. Lee, Adrian Piper, Anna Deavere Smith' (2011), explores how identity is negotiated through performance art by women artists who embody various characteristics associated with racial, ethnic, and gender 'otherness.' Smith's scholarly articles have been published in prestigious journals such as Art Journal and African Arts. She has been awarded the Getty Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Research Fellowship at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African American Research at Harvard University. In addition to her academic work, she has also contributed to the curatorial departments of the Art Institute of Chicago, De Young Museum, and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Smith obtained her Ph.D. in Art History from Stanford University in 2005, an M.A. in Art History from the University of Arizona in 1997, and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Arizona in 1991.

Research Interests