After the devastating murder of George Floyd and the racial unrest that’s ensued, many around the country have begun to explore what they can do in the movement for justice and equality. As an artist, researcher, and administrator, Katie Dieter has been part of that movement throughout the whole of her professional career.
Most recently, as associate director of the African and African American Studies Program at Stanford University, she’s engendering positive change throughout her campus and community, and she’s finding new ways for her work to be informed not only by her research but by her background as an artist, as well.
During her time in graduate school at IU, Dieter’s research focused on skin tone hierarchy among African American women and the intersection of gender and sexuality. Beyond her research, however, she was heavily involved in IU’s African American Arts Institute, where she worked in the marketing department.
“That work is vital in what I do today,” she says. “I learned a lot about delegation, time management, multitasking, and the importance of developing partnerships across the campus and community. I also learned a lot about the importance of the arts as a method of knowledge production, particularly within Black studies programs, which is one of my research focuses now.”
Dieter grew up in a family of artists; acting creatively is in her blood. Fittingly, she earned a bachelors degree in studio art and African American studies from Indiana State University, where she specialized in metal sculpture and furniture design.
She’s an active painter and sculptor to this day, and her artwork frequently deals with issues surrounding race, gender, and sexuality.
Dieter just returned to America from Kingston, Jamaica, after four years as a senior lecturer at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. She acknowledges that she’s returning during an interesting time for our country — the social and political environment is much different than that of Jamaica.
“The energy in America has extra divisiveness and anger,” Dieter says.
But despite the many challenges, Dieter believes that this is a monumental time for our country — and a time for necessary change. From the pandemic to the upcoming election to continued racial unrest, there’s an opportunity for creativity that didn’t exist before, and Dieter says that students should take advantage of that.
“Use this dynamic and challenging time in our history to create something meaningful for you and the communities you care about,” she says.
