Janet Berry Hess
Professor of Art History/African and Diasporic Studies
Contact
Office
Carson Hall 52About
Professor Janet Berry Hess brings a global perspective to her teaching and research, exploring the connections between art, culture, history, and social justice.
Her work focuses on African art and architecture, Indigenous histories and cultures, gender studies, and human rights. She has led humanities projects highlighting Indigenous cultural heritage, digital mapping, and community engagement.
Her teaching experience includes the University of Cape Town, UC Santa Cruz, and Northwestern University, bringing a broad range of academic perspectives to her work in Hutchins.
Education
| Ph.D., Art History | Harvard University |
| M.A., Art History | Columbia University |
| J.D. | University of Iowa College of Law |
| B.A. | University of Iowa |
Academic Interests
- African Art & Architecture
- Indigenous Histories & Cultures
- Human Rights & Social Justice
- Gender & Cultural Studies
- Cultural Heritage & Public Humanities
- Digital Mapping & Research
Research
Professor Hess's work includes National Endowment for the Humanities-funded projects focusing on Indigenous cultural mapping, Native American programming, food sovereignty, and cultural land management.
She has also contributed to university initiatives supporting diversity, multicultural education, and social justice.
Digital Humanities & Research Projects
Mapping Indigenous American Cultures and Living Histories
National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Advancement Grant
Project Director of a digital mapping initiative focused on Indigenous cultures, geographic regions, and living histories.
IndigenousMap.com
Digital Indigenous Mapping Project
Co-creator with Victor Temprano of a digital map exploring Indigenous regions and cultures, supported by Sonoma State University's Strategic Planning Grant.
Selected Publications & Presentations
Books
| Publication | Publisher & Year |
|---|---|
| Digital Mapping: Indigenous America | Routledge, 2021 |
| Osage and Settler: Reconstructing Shared History Through an Oklahoma Family Archive | McFarland & Company, 2015 |
| The Art of Richard Mayhew: A Critical Analysis with Interviews | McFarland & Company, 2014 |
| Art and Architecture in Postcolonial Africa | McFarland & Company, 2006 |
Book Chapters
| Publication | Book & Publisher |
|---|---|
| Liberation-Era Architecture in Ghana: Nkrumah, Nationalism, and Modernity | Sub-Saharan Africa Architectural Guide, DOM Publishers, 2021 |
| Nkrumah/Lumumba: Representations of Masculinity | African Intellectuals and Decolonization, Ohio University Press |
| An Irrational Eschatology: Nkrumahism, Post-Nkrumahism, and the Discourse of Modernity | Contemporary Issues in African Art, University of Binghamton Press, 1988 |
Journal Articles & Reviews
| Publication | Journal & Year |
|---|---|
| The Art of Richard Mayhew | NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art, 2011 |
| Spectacular Nation: Nkrumahist Art and Resistance Iconography in the Independence Era | African Arts, 2006 |
| Imagining Architecture II: 'Treasure Storehouses' and Constructions of Asante Hegemony | Africa Today, 2003 |
| Performing Ghana: Exhibition, Documentary and Display in Nkrumah-era Ghana | African Studies Review, 2001 |
| Regulating/Representing the Body: South Africa | Art Journal, 2001 |
| Imagining Architecture: The Structure of Nationalism in Accra, Ghana | Africa Today, 2000 |
| Embedded Objects: The Asante Goldweight, Subjectivity Formation, and Social Control | Semiotica, 1998 |
| Review of Native Land Talk: Indigenous and Arrivant Rights Theories | Transmotion |
| Peer review of Art as a Weapon: The Inverted Gaze in Julius Lips' 'The Savage Hits Back' | ab-Original, 2018 |