Ila Sheren

Ila Sheren is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Washington University. Her research focuses on borders, decolonial theory, environmental crisis in the Global South, and performative political protest. She teaches courses in new media, activist art, and contemporary art surveys. She holds a PhD from MIT and maintains an active research agenda addressing border ecology and transnational art practices.

Her research interests emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, blending art history with environmental studies, political theory, and digital media. Key projects include Border Ecology: Art and Environmental Crisis at the Margins and studies on Chicano movements and border art origins. She has presented widely at conferences including College Art Association and Balance/Unbalance.

Recent publications explore themes like 'slow violence' in environmental contexts, digital cartography critiques, and performance art's role in challenging geopolitical boundaries. Her work often intersects with questions of identity politics, non-human ecologies, and decolonial methodologies.

Teaching specialties include contemporary art of the U.S.-Mexico border, art activism, and global contemporary practices. She advises through a Calendly booking system and is currently Director of Graduate Studies in the American Culture Studies program.