We’re pleased to announce that LeKeisha Hughes will be our new Associate Editor of Art History and Music! LeKeisha originally joined the UC Press team in 2021 as an editorial assistant. Prior to joining the press, LeKeisha worked as an instructor at UC San Diego and Occidental College, as well as managing editor for the Critical Ethnic Studies journal. She is delighted to build on these experiences, as well as her work as an editorial assistant at the press, as she acquires for the distinguished art history and music lists. She is interested in fostering the press’ commitment to interdisciplinary thought and forward-thinking scholarship through pursuing diverse and inclusive works across these robust areas.
In her words:
Since starting at UC Press in early 2021, I have worked closely with authors from the earliest stages of proposal development to production and publication. I enjoy playing a supportive role as a book moves from a kernel of an idea to a finished product out in the world, and I am thrilled to continue this work as Associate Editor for the distinguished and robust art history list.
The care and purpose given to projects published at our press aligns with the innovative, diverse, and inclusive projects I am interested in acquiring. l am excited by works that disrupt normative logics of who can create, collect, and critically engage art, projects that call attention to overlooked artists and forgotten histories, and interdisciplinary projects that task us with examining our own positions and privileges when we view and consume art.
Art exists in so many contested spaces, often blurring distinctions between aesthetics and cultural realities, between spectator and participant. Recognizing the ongoing legacies of exclusion and gatekeeping, from the museum to the academy, I aim to acquire books that grapple with these subjects and push the discipline in new directions.
At CAA, I look forward to meeting current and prospective authors, while following the emerging scholarship of the field. You’re always welcome to send an email to lhughes@ucpress.edu, and be sure to visit the UC Press booth and say hello!
