Jacqueline Witkowski, PhD
About
Jacqueline Witkowski is Assistant Professor of Global Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Art History. Prior to joining WWU in 2023, she held appointments at Colgate University (Hamilton, NY), Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Boston, MA), and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, BC).
Dr. Witkowski specializes in modern and contemporary art with a focus on the histories of Latin American art and textile and fiber art practices. Her research analyzes artist writings and textile metaphors that recovered narratives of marginalized and disappeared populations during dictatorial governments in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile during the 1960s and 1970s. Her current project tracks how these artworks also engaged ecological imperatives and is working with contemporary artists in Brazil and Argentina to consider ongoing concerns around hydroelectricity dams and deforestation. Some broader research and teaching interests include art as activism, feminist artistic practices, modes of collaboration and participation, and craft-based practice from the American continents.
She holds an M.A. and Ph.D in Art History and Theory from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and a B.A. from DePaul University in Chicago.