INSTITUTE FOR DOCTORAL STUDIES
IN THE VISUAL ARTS
Terrence Phearse is a lens based artist and independent curator. He is an Assistant Museum Manager at Fotografiska New York and Editorial Director at Musée Photo Magazine. He earned an M.A. in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London with Distinction. Terrence’s M.A. thesis, On The Color Line: Early African American Photographic Portraiture (1839—1900) examined W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1900 Paris Exposition and Fredrick Douglass’s photographs using critical auto ethnography. He has a second M.A. from the University of Westminster in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism with Distinction, where his final major project Sunday at 11, surveyed the history of Harlem Churches and gentrification. He has a Bachelor of Science from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Terrence is also the former Associate Fashion and Menswear Editor at Glamour magazine and Accessories Editorial Associate at American Vogue. He has written for The Huffington Post Black Voices, Essence, and many other editorial publications. His photographic practice is focused on themes surrounding the black male body. Terrence has collaborated on international curatorial projects with contemporary artists and archives in London and Japan.
This fellowship is not just for me, but it is for all of the past generations who didn't have this opportunity. With this privilege, I intend to carry a piece of Dr. David C. Driskell’s distinct legacy throughout my scholarship and my contribution to the field. I grew up feeling like Art institutions were inaccessible to me, and I hope to give space to artists and audiences who might feel the same in the future.
-Terrence Phearse, Cohort ’21