Decorative Arts Lecture Series: Reclaiming African American Traditions in the Decorative Arts with Dr. Lauren Cross

In this edition of the Decorative Arts Lecture Series titled Reclaiming African American Traditions in the Decorative Arts, Dr. Lauren Cross, the Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts speaks on reclaiming African American Traditions in the Decorative Arts. Free to attend.

Lauren Cross is the Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts, where she works from The Huntington’s outstanding collection strengths in American folk art, Arts and Crafts, Greene and Greene, and Colonial-era material to grow previously underrepresented areas of the collection. Lauren received her Ph.D. in multicultural women’s and gender studies from Texas Woman’s University and M.F.A. in visual arts from Lesley University where her research focused on the works of women artists of color, decorative arts & material culture, and African American fiber traditions. She directed and produced the documentary The Skin Quilt Project in 2010, which explored the intersections of skin color politics in African American quilting traditions and curated the traveling exhibition The Skin Quilt Project: Uplifting Our Culture, Celebrating Tradition. Lauren taught for several years at the University of North Texas, while also curating and co-curating several culturally significant exhibitions at museums and cultural institutions across the country, including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography, Artpace San Antonio, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture.