Sarah Lewis

Sarah Lewis is an accomplished academic and cultural historian, currently serving as the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies. Her research primarily explores the intersections of visual representation, racial justice, and democracy in the United States, spanning from the nineteenth century to the present.15

Dr. Lewis is well-known for her pioneering course titled Vision and Justice, which examines the role of art in shaping American citizenship and racial identity. She is also the founder of the Vision & Justice Project, which aims to address issues of representation and equity in visual culture. Her contributions to academia include several published works, such as The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, which has been translated into multiple languages.14

In addition to her teaching and research, Lewis has held curatorial positions at prestigious institutions like The Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate Modern in London. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Freedom Scholar Award from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 2019 and being named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2022.135

Lewis holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, an M.Phil from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.12 Her extensive background in art history and cultural studies makes her a prominent figure in discussions surrounding race, representation, and social justice within the arts.