Maika Pollack

Maika Pollack is an Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she also serves as Director and Chief Curator of the John Young Museum of Art and University Galleries. She holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University (implied via context) and teaches courses on 19th-century European art, photography history, and curatorial studies. Her research focuses on Odilon Redon’s color theory and Symbolist art, drawing on extensive archival work across Europe and the U.S.

Education: B.A. in Art History from Harvard University, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and Ph.D. (year not explicitly stated) in Art History.

Research interests span 19th-century French art, photography’s historical development, and contemporary curatorial practices. She co-founded SOUTHFIRST, a Brooklyn-based experimental art gallery active since 2005. Her curatorial work has been featured in major publications like The New Yorker and ArtForum, with exhibitions focusing on artists like Susan Bee and Group Material.

Her scholarly writing explores intersections of visual art with poetry, performance, and technology. She has held teaching roles at Bard College (Language and Thinking Program since 2005) and NYU.

Labs/Teams: Directs the John Young Museum and collaborates with SOUTHFIRST gallery, maintaining ties with institutions like the Musée d’Orsay and Art Institute of Chicago.