Nicole R. Fleetwood and Maria Gaspar

Nicole R. Fleetwood serves as the inaugural James Weldon Johnson Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University's Steinhardt School, while Maria Gaspar is an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Both scholars are prominent figures at the intersection of art, social justice, and carceral studies, with extensive exhibition histories and critical recognition.

Fleetwood's research focuses on contemporary Black diasporic art, prison abolition, and visual culture, while Gaspar's practice addresses spatial justice through multi-year projects examining power structures in marginalized communities. Fleetwood's acclaimed book Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration won multiple prestigious awards including the National Book Critics Award in Criticism.

Both scholars share a commitment to community-engaged practice, with Fleetwood curating the traveling exhibition Marking Time that debuted at MoMA PS1, and Gaspar creating long-term public art interventions at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. Their work demonstrates how artistic practice can serve as both documentation and intervention in systems of oppression.

• Nicole R. Fleetwood Awards: MacArthur Fellow (2021), National Book Critics Award in Criticism, John Hope Franklin Publication Prize
• Maria Gaspar Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship (2022), United States Artists Fellowship, Frieze Impact Prize

Both scholars maintain active exhibition schedules and contribute significantly to public discourse through writing, teaching, and community-based projects that challenge conventional understandings of space, power, and justice.