Stefanie Jason works at the intersection of research, writing and curating. Currently an Art History PhD student at Rutgers University, Stefanie is interested in memory and desire in contemporary African diasporic art. With an MA in Curatorial Practice from Wits University, Stefanie’s thesis focused on the absence of pioneering photojournalist Mabel Cetu from South African mainstream archives. Stefanie also created the zine titled “Centring Silences: The Elusive Photographic Archive of Mabel Cetu,” which features a collection of responses to the memory of Cetu. Stefanie has written for publications such as Contemporary And, Africa South Art Initiative (ASAI), and ARTS.BLACK.

Project: Stefanie will form an integral part of the curatorial team of the exhibition “Jayne Cortez: A Poet’s Guide to the World”, working directly with the Artistic Director and Assistant Curator to engage in extensive archival and historical research in partnership with Cortez’s estate and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library.