Derek Conrad Murray

Derek Conrad Murray is a Professor in the History of Art & Visual Culture (HAVC) department at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). He was recently appointed as Editor-in-Chief of Art Journal, the leading peer-reviewed publication by the College Art Association, after serving on its editorial board since 2016. His research focuses on contemporary art, visual culture, African-American and African diasporic art, post-black aesthetics, cultural theory, identity, and ethical representation. Murray has authored significant works such as Mapplethorpe and the Flower: Radical Sexuality and the Limits of Control (2020) and Queering Post-Black Art (2016), and serves as Associate Editor for Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art.