Sharon Irish

Affiliated Lecturer, School of Architecture

Sharon Irish is an historian with particular interest in community cultural development and urban spatial practices. Since coming to the Graduate School of Library and Information Science in 2007, she has focused her research on two artists who base their practice in communities—Los Angeles-based Suzanne Lacy and London-based Stephen Willats. She also continues to research the histories of libraries designed by architect Cass Gilbert (1859-1934), informed by critical race theory. FemTechNet, a collective of artists, scholars and students interested in intersections of feminisms and technologies, occupies much of her time. Active in the national consortium, Imagining America, Irish also works with other faculty on campus to catalyze publicly-engaged scholarship. She serves as an advisory editor for the journal Technology and Culture. She has authored three books and numerous articles.