Megan Sheard

Megan Sheard is a Ph.D. student in the Department of History of Art and Architecture. Her research focuses on the materiality of early Tasmanian architecture in the context of colonial transformation of Aboriginal landscapes and larger webs of regional and imperial trade: in particular, the ways in which timber, brick and stone are part of a cultural landscape predating colonialism. In addition to her academic work, Megan has worked in diverse roles at the intersection of craft and community: as a crochet teacher and community artist, assisting teaching traditional woodworking to children, at a women’s shelter and in the Foundations in the Humanities program teaching literature to incarcerated students. She maintains a broad interest in the intersections between craft, utopian movements, and critiques of coloniality and capitalism, and in her Masters project, designed and built furniture inspired by vernacular interpretations of gothic and Shaker aesthetics. Across her work. Megan aims to combine critical analysis with creative production, whether the medium be physical or linguistic, and has an investment in sharing these skills with those whose realities they help bring to public view. Megan is currently a co-editor of her department’s graduate student academic journal, react/review: a responsive journal for art and architecture.

Read about Megan’s internship working on public programming and equity initiatives with the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

See some of Megan’s creative output here and at her previous textiles practice Granny Funk Crochet

Read Megan’s post on the Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Blog on the ambiguity of eucalypts in California and their vulnerability in their native habitats

Learn more about Megan’s research in this short video:

Watch Megan’s Spring 2024 Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Program Capstone Presentation: