The Institute for African American Studies earnestly and eagerly attempts to reach out to our colleagues and peer departments for cross collaboration and partnership. The goal of this collaborations is to better and more well roundly serve our students. We do this within our events and fellowships, we are mindful of this when inviting guest speakers and off campus personnel to interact with our AFAM community, in wider Athens community networking, and by recruiting affiliate faculty to help us teach cross listed courses that are interdisciplinary, rigorous, and that assist to highlight the agility and intellectual weight of African American studies and Black history and culture in general. We have recently recruited both Dr. Katherine Sciurba , Assistant Professor of Literacies and Children's Literature in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia Mary Francis Early College of Education and Dr. Shawnya L. Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the Georgia Museum of Art. The Georgia Museum of Art serves as both the official UGA campus museum and the official state museum of Georgia. Please read below to learn more about these wonderful scholars and the insight and professionalism they bring the Institute for African American Studies! Dr. Katherine Sciurba What is your education or work experience? I received my PhD in English Education from New York University, and I hold an MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, an MS in Education from Mercy College, and a BA in Literature from the University of California – San Diego. I am now in my 20th year of university-level teaching, and I have worked directly with K-12 students for even longer! What has been your route to being an educator? Any pit stops along the way? I began my career in education as a 4th and 5th grade teacher in the Bronx, New York. It took me four years to land a tenure track position after receiving my Ph.D. I was a lecturer and a clinical assistant professor prior to accepting my first tenure track professorship at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. My family and I had to live in separate states (half of us in California) during that time. I have since worked at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley, San Diego State University, and am now loving my position at the University of Georgia. What is your research area and why did you choose it? My research focuses on the intersections of young people’s lives and literacy practices with an emphasis on the reading experiences of Boys of Color, popular culture as a vehicle for literacy instruction, and representations of race, gender, and current/recent historical events in children’s literature. I have always been drawn to the potential of books and reading to enhance our critical mobility, so everything I do revolves around literacy, literary significance, and the ways in which individuals’ worlds intersect with the texts they read, as well as the ways in which their worlds can be shaped by literacy. What are your goals for your research/teaching? My goals are to pursue future lines of inquiry centered on the sociopolitical messaging of children’s literature and literacy practices, and I want to find a way to support graduate students with grant-funded projects. In teaching, I aim to create communal spaces that challenge students to reach their maximum potential in their desired fields. Why are you interested in being an affiliate with IAAS? Since my arrival at UGA in Fall 2024, I have been working with, and been absolutely impressed by, the students at IAAS, and I wanted to become more involved with their learning and to be an additional support person as they carve out their distinct paths in academia. IAAS is one of the most welcoming and uplifting spaces on campus, and I look forward to spending more time there in this official capacity. Do you have anything you may be currently working on and/or awards you received or projects you completed? I am currently working with a team of doctoral students from my LLED 8310: Race, Class, and Gender in Children’s Literature course on a book project focused on Joel Chandler Harris’s “Uncle Remus” stories and their enduring impact in local and national literacy education contexts. This book will follow my debut scholarly monograph, Reading and Relevance, Reimagined: Celebrating the Literacy Lives of Young Men of Color (Teachers College Press, 2024), which was awarded the 2025 Phillip C. Chinn Multicultural Book Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education. Anything else you want to share with us? Thank you all so much for inviting me to be an affiliate member of IAAS. I look forward to working alongside your renowned faculty and extraordinary staff members. Dr. Shawnya L. Harris What is your education or work experience? I currently serve as the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia. Before joining UGA, I taught art history at Elizabeth City State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Middle Tennessee State University, and directed the University Galleries at North Carolina A&T State University. My academic training and professional experience have consistently centered on African American art, museum practice, and curatorial leadership. What has been your route to being an educator? Any pit stops along the way? I began my academic journey studying African American Studies at Yale University, where I developed a strong interest in the intersections of culture, history, and art. I then pursued graduate work in art history at UNC Chapel Hill, intending to earn a PhD and become a university professor. During my master’s program, I discovered a passion for museums and decided to pause my doctoral studies. While working in information technology and coding in the early years of web design, I often volunteered at area museums to gain hands-on experience and deepen my understanding of curatorial work. Eventually I began to work as a gallery director and curator while still in NC at an area HBCU (NC A&T State University) for a few years. I returned to UNC to complete my PhD in art history, and after graduating, I taught for few years full-time. My path ultimately brought me to the University of Georgia, where I now serve as the Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, blending my academic background with my commitment to museum practice. What is your research area and why you did you choose it? My research focuses on African American and African Diasporic art, with particular attention to artists whose contributions have been historically overlooked. I chose this area because representation matters: museums and classrooms must reflect the diversity of artistic voices. My curatorial projects highlight artists who challenge dominant narratives and expand our understanding of modern and contemporary art. What are your goals for your research/teaching? My goals are twofold: Research: Continue to document, interpret, and elevate African American artists within broader art historical discourse. Teaching: Inspire students to see art as a lens for understanding identity, history, and social change. I currently mentor emerging scholars and curators, encouraging them to pursue innovative, inclusive approaches to the arts. Why are you interested in being an affiliate with IAAS? Affiliation with the Institute for African American Studies allows me to connect my curatorial work with interdisciplinary scholarship. It provides a platform to collaborate with colleagues across fields, enrich student learning, and integrate museum practice into African American Studies. I see this as an opportunity to bridge academic research and public engagement. Do you have anything you may be currently working on and/or awards you received or projects you completed? Awards: Named Museum Professional of the Year by the Georgia Association of Museums (2022). Fellowship: Selected as a 2021 Fellow by the Center for Curatorial Leadership, recognizing innovative curatorial achievements. Projects: Curated Emma Amos: Color Odyssey, recognized nationally as one of the best exhibitions of 2021. Co-curating Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone with a publication opening in 2016. Ongoing Work: Developing exhibitions and scholarship that highlight African American artists in Georgia and beyond. Type of News/Audience: Director's Spotlight Affiliate Faculty Interview: Dr. Sciurba, Dr. Harris
