Cheryl Finley (born USA) is an art historian, author, curator and critic. She is a professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and Director of the AUC Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective. She won Bard Graduate Center's Horowitz Book Prize for her book, ''Committed to Memory: the Art of the Slave Ship Icon'' in 2019.

Early life and education

Finley studied Spanish at Wellesley as an undergraduate student and earned her PhD in Art History and African American studies from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

where she co-founded the Photographic Memory Workshop in 1998 with Laura Wexler, Leigh Raiford and Robin Bernstein.

Career

Finley began in the art world as an art appraiser specializing in photography. She is currently Associate Professor and Director of Visual Studies, Cornell University. In 2016 Finley helped organize and host Black Portraitures III with Deborah Willis,

Awam Amkpa Awam Amkpa is a professor of drama, film and social and cultural analysis at New York University in New York and Abu Dhabi. Actor, playwright, director of stage plays, films and curator of visual arts, Awam Amkpa is a Nigerian-American. Backgroun ...

and

Manthia Diawara Manthia Diawara (born December 19, 1953) is a Malian writer, filmmaker, cultural theorist, scholar, and art historian. He holds the title of University Professor at New York University (NYU), where he is Director of the Institute of Afro-American ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. This nomadic annual conference convenes artists and scholars to discuss imagery of the

African Diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were e ...

in visual culture. In 2017 she was a speaker at the 28th Annual James Porter Colloquium at Howard University along with

Lorna Simpson Lorna Simpson (born August 13, 1960) is an American photographer and multimedia artist. She came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with artworks such as ''Guarded Conditions'' and ''Square Deal''. Simpson is most well-known for her work in c ...

, Fred Wilson, Dawoud Bey, Kinsasha Holman Conwill, and

Kellie Jones Kellie Jones (born 1959) is an American art historian and curator. She is a Professor in Art History and Archaeology in African American Studies at Columbia University. She won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016. Biography Jones is the daughter of ...

. That same year she spoke with Deborah Willis and Kellie Jones about Black social movements on a panel at the annual

College Art Association The College Art Association of America (CAA) is the principal organization in the United States for professionals in the visual arts, from students to art historians to emeritus faculty. Founded in 1911, it "promotes these arts and their understa ...

's conference in New York. In 2019 Finley took a leave of absence from her teaching job at Cornell University to become the inaugural Director of the Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies. The Collective culls together students from

Clark Atlanta Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Founde ...

, Morehouse, and Spelman to study curatorial and art historical practices and is the only program in the US focused on training professionals of color in this field. In 2019 she was a panelist for Miami Art Basel's tenth annual Discussion on African Diaspora Art along with Dr.

Moyo Okediji Moyo Okediji is an art historian, painter and artist whose works contains a number of icons and signifiers of the deep aspects of Yoruba culture. He was part of Ona, an art movement at Obafemi Awolowo University. Early life and education Okedi ...

, and Sopo Aluko. Finley writes primarily about Black contemporary artists. Among her publications is a monograph about the photographer Teenie Harris, Terry Adkins, a book about the use of the slave ship image in art and culture, a pictorial book about Harlem, and most recently an exhibition catalog from the collection of

Souls Grown Deep Foundation Souls Grown Deep Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting the work of leading contemporary African American artists from the Southeastern United States. Its mission is to include their contributio ...

. In 2019 Finley won the Horowitz Book Prize from the Bard Graduate Center for her book, ''Committed to Memory: The Art of the Slave Ship Icon''. Finley has also contributed to

ArtForum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notabl ...

and ArtNEWS.

Bibliography

* Finley, Cheryl (contributor), Kalia Brooks Nelson, Deborah Willis, Ellyn Toscano (editors). (2019) " Lois Mailou Jones in the World," ''Women and Migration Responses in Art and History.'' Open Book Publishers. . *Finley, Cheryl, Randall R. Griffey, Amelia Peck, Darryl Pinckney. (2018) ''My Soul Has Grown Deep: Black Art from the American South.'' Metropolitan Museum of Art. . * Finley, Cheryl. (2018) ''Committed to Memory: the Art of the Slave Ship Icon'' Princeton University Press. . * Finley, Cheryl, Ian Berry, Anthony Elms,

Okwui Enwezor Okwui Enwezor (23 October 1963 – 15 March 2019) was a Nigerian curator, art critic, writer, poet, and educator, specializing in art history. He lived in New York City and Munich. In 2014, he was ranked 24 in the ''ArtReview'' list of the 100 m ...

, Charles Gaines. (2017) '' Terry Adkins: Recital.'' Prestel. . * Finley, Cheryl, Laurence A. Glasco, Joe W. Trotter. (2011) '' Teenie Harris, Photographer: Image, Memory, History.'' University of Pittsburgh Press. . * Finley, Cheryl, Deborah Willis, Elizabeth Alexander,

Thelma Golden Thelma Golden (born 1965 in St. Albans, Queens) is the Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City, United States. Golden joined the Museum as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs in 2000 before succeeding ...

. (2010) ''Harlem: A Century in Images''. Skira Rizzoli. . * Finley, Cheryl, Salah M. Hassan. (2008) ''Diaspora Memory Place: David Hammons,

Maria Magdalena Campos-pons Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

Pamela Z Pamela Z (born 1956) is an American composer, performer, and media artist who is best known for her solo works for voice with electronic processing. In performance, she combines various vocal sounds including operatic bel canto, experimental ex ...

.'' Prestel Pub. . * Finley, Cheryl, Solange Oliviera Farkas, Zita Nunes, et al. (2005) ''Mostra Pan Africana de Arte Contemporanea / Pan-African Exhibition of Contemporary Art.'' Associacao Cultural Videobrasil. ASIN: B005MKQ67E. *Finley, Cheryl. (2002) James VanDerZee: Harlem Guaranteed. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. ASIN: B00I9OL5I0. *Finley, Cheryl, Daniell Cornell. (2000) ''Imaging African art: Documentation and Transformation.'' Yale University Art Gallery. . *Finley, Cheryl, Nell Andrew, Adam Jolles, Ann Vollmann Bible, et al. (1999) ''Tracing Memory - Chicago Art Journal, Spring 1999.'' University of Chicago. ASIN: B00E7VKR2E. *Finley, Cheryl, William Barlow. (1994) ''From

Swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

: An Illustrated History of African American Popular Music from 1930 to 1960.'' Elliott & Clark Pub. .

References

External links

ArtForum on Soul of a Nation

ArtNEWS on Deborah Willis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Cheryl Living people American art historians Women art historians American art critics American women non-fiction writers Wellesley College alumni Yale University alumni Cornell University faculty Spelman College faculty Year of birth missing (living people) American women curators American curators