The World Before Racism: An Art Story

Lisa Farringtonis an American art historian and author, specializing in African American, Haitian, and women's art. She is a graduate of Howard University (BFA), American University (MA), and subsequently obtained her MPh and PhD in art history and philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center. A past Associate Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, she is currently Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Founding Chair of the Department of Art & Music at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. Farrington is one of only six full professors of African American art history in the United States. Her 2005 book, Creating Their Own Image, was the first comprehensive history of African American female artists, from slavery to present day. Her 2015 book, African American Art: A Visual Culture and History, is an updated survey on African American art. Farrington resides in New York City.

Jack Flamis a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art History at Brooklyn College and The Graduate Center at the City University of New York. He is the author of numerous books, catalogues, and articles on African art and on nineteenth and twentieth-century European and American art. Erin Thompsonholds a JD from Columbia Law School and a PhD in Art History from Columbia University. As Amer- ica's only professor of art crime, she studies the ethics of cultural heritage, and various other intersections between art and crime.