Janet Berry Hess

Janet Berry Hess is a Professor of Art History and African and Diasporic Studies at Sonoma State University's Hutchins School of Liberal Studies. With a Ph.D. in Art History from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Iowa, her interdisciplinary work bridges indigenous studies, liberation-era African art, and human rights advocacy.

Her research examines decolonial aesthetics, focusing on Native American histories and Ghana’s architectural nationalism under Nkrumah. She leads NEH-funded projects like 'Mapping Indigenous American Cultures and Living Histories' and co-created IndigenousMap.com.

Publications analyze Osage-settler histories, Richard Mayhew’s art, and African political symbolism. Her scholarship integrates social justice, having contributed to death penalty litigation and tribal liaison roles for CalNAGPRA.