Joseph Underwood

Joseph Underwood, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Art. He joined Kent State University in 2017 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2022. Throughout his time at Kent State, Underwood has established himself as a significant scholar with a national and international impact through his portfolio of research. Underwood specializes in the African continent and diaspora and teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on historical and contemporary African Art, curatorial studies and the ethics of curation. Underwood is driven to improve students’ experiences and the reputation and standard of the School of Art. Underwood has also published two edited volumes during his time at Kent State and has authored 13 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in national and international journals. Along with teaching and research, Underwood has also been invited to lecture in more than 40 national and international public presentations and has curated or co-curated 11 exhibitions. Because of Underwood’s excellence, he has been the recipient of multiple grants and has stewarded the School of Arts initiative to yield programming that expands the school’s reach and impact regionally and nationally.