Jennifer Baez

Jennifer Baez is an Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on the visual, material, and religious culture of Latin America and the African diaspora under the Spanish empire, with a specialization in 18th-century Caribbean studies, gender, race, and representation. She holds a PhD in Art History from Florida State University (2021), alongside MA degrees in Art History (University of Arizona, 2013) and Translation and Interpretation (Monterey Institute of International Studies, 2005).

Her current book project examines the Virgin of Altagracia icon in colonial Hispaniola, exploring intersections of Marian devotion, race, and creole identity formation. Baez also researches contemporary Caribbean and Latinx art, addressing issues of monuments, heritage, and gender/race representation. Her work appears in Hyperallergic, Small Axe, and Arts, among others.

• Education:
  • PhD, Art History, Florida State University, 2021
  • MA, Art History, University of Arizona, 2013
  • MA, Translation and Interpretation, Monterey Institute of International Studies, 2005
  • BFA, Painting + Printmaking, SUNY Purchase College, 2003

Her research has been supported by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. She has participated in the Center for Curatorial Leadership’s Curatorial Foundation Seminar in New York City.

Baez’s scholarship bridges historical and contemporary art, emphasizing decolonial methodologies and critical race theory. She critiques colonial narratives through analyses of religious imagery, public monuments, and diasporic artistic practices.