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Wright, Kristina Dziedzic

Kristina Dziedzic Wright received an M.A. in language, literacy and rhetoric and an M.A. in art history in 2005, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research takes an ethnographic approach to the study of contemporary artists and craftsmen and focuses on informal sector artisans in developing countries as well as the intersections between art, culture and community. She currently works as Exhibits and Publications Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is a freelance curator and practicing multi-media artist.

Art, Culture and Tourism on an Indian Ocean Island: An Ethnographic Study of Jua Kali Artists in Lamu, Kenya
2010 0-7734-3874-2
This book employs an ethnographic approach to understand the evolution of jua kali (Swahili for “hot sun”) art forms, especially in response to the international tourism industry. The importance of ethnicity to Lamu’s jua kali artists and the ways that ethnic identity is expressed visually in their artwork offers a unique approach to analyzing processes of cultural commoditization.