Doctor of Philosophy
Art History
Graduate Center, City University of New York
Master of Philosophy
Art History
Graduate Center, City University of New York
Master of Arts
Art History
University of California, Riverside
Bachelor of Arts
Art History
University of California, Riverside
Karen Barber teaches art history and serves as director of the Cade Art Gallery. She brings her passion for art and curatorial practice into every class and exhibition, helping students explore how art connects people, ideas and cultures.
“The Cade Gallery is a great resource for students in visual arts and beyond,” she said. “I'm always happy to chat with students about the gallery and its programming.”
In addition to teaching a wide range of courses in art history and museum studies, Barber is a current member of AACC's Center for Liberal Arts Work (CLAW), which emphasizes seminar-style teaching and learning. With seminar-style teaching in mind, she brings a passion for discussion, conversation, asking big questions about art and its history, and engagement with key art historical texts to her courses. Reach out to Barber to find out more about art history courses available to take through CLAW.
Her students describe her as engaging and deeply passionate about her subject. Barber enjoys the meaningful discussions that come from teaching such a diverse group of learners. “I admire our students’ drive and tenacity to achieve their goals,” she said. “We have students from all walks of life, and I love that.”
A specialist in the history of photography, modern art and curatorial practice, Barber’s research explores interwar photography, cameraless processes, exhibitions and photography’s relationship to Native America. She has also worked in major photography collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
When she is not teaching or curating, Barber loves to travel, visit museums and bake, especially sourdough bread. “It fascinates me that I can make bread with little more than flour, water and salt. Miraculous!” she said.
Barber has lived in many places, including eight states and two countries, but was born in Washington, D.C., and spent her early years in Maryland. Teaching at AACC feels like coming full circle.
“Wendy Red Star: Archival Interventions,” Great Plains Quarterly (forthcoming)
“László Moholy-Nagy, Photogram,” Smarthistory, August 26, 2022
“Collecting the Indian Congress: Reframing Indigenous Photography Albums from the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition,” in Diverse Voices in Photographic Albums: “These Are Our Stories”, edited by Mary Trent and Kris Belden-Adams (London: Routledge, 2022), 164–193
“Photography At and In Strategy: Get Arts,” in Strategy: Get Arts: 35 Artists Who Broke the Rules, edited by Christian Weikop (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2021)
“Alexander Rodchenko: At the Telephone,” Smarthistory, September 1, 2021
“Honoré Daumier: Nadar Elevating Photography to the Height of an Art,” Smarthistory, June 6, 2021
“David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson: Newhaven Fishwives,” Smarthistory, June 6, 2021
“Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany,” Smarthistory, August 18, 2020
“Documents and Archives: Photography Of, At and In the 1970 Strategy: Get Arts Exhibition,” Studies in Photography (Summer 2019): 28–41
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