Earnestine Jenkins

Dr. Earnestine Jenkins is a Professor of Art History at the Department of Art and Design, The University of Memphis. She coordinates academic programs while maintaining an active research agenda focused on African Diaspora visual studies and African American art history.

• B.A., Spelman College (1979)
• M.A., Memphis State University (1986)
• Ph.D., Michigan State University (1997)

Her research explores African American visual culture across centuries, with emphasis on:

• Comparative analysis of African Diaspora art
• 20th-century African American artists
• 19th-20th century photographic culture
• Intersections of art, politics, and leadership
• Urban southern Black visual traditions
• Historical connections to Ethiopian studies

Dr. Jenkins' publications reveal consistent engagement with race, representation, and cultural preservation through visual media. Recent works focus on exhibition documentation and historical photographic narratives in Memphis.

She maintains active academic correspondence via eljenkns@memphis.edu and continues to contribute to her field through interdisciplinary methodologies.