Berkeley Art and Ethnography (BAE)
Berkeley Art and Ethnography (BAE) is an experimental research collaborative at the University of California, Berkeley, sponsored by the Townsend Center for the Humanities. The group investigates art and media in contemporary and historical societies around the globe, broadly conceived. Founded in 2021, BAE includes members from multiple departments on campus, including Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, Sociology, Geography, Political Science, and several other fields. Each week during the academic year, BAE organizes presentations, theoretical discussions, and writing sessions for graduate and postdoctoral students to workshop their ideas. BAE aims to push the boundaries of interdisciplinary dialogue, exploring the capacity of experimental ethnography and archival research to shed new light on the politics of media, aesthetics, and globalized society.
Current Board:
Jonathan Wu, Executive Chair
Ryan Gourley, Financial Officer
Cristóbal Chan, Interdepartmental Liaison
Max Jefferson, Member Recruitment CoordinatorIncoming Cohort:
Gus Holley (On Fieldwork, Returning Fall '25)
Caitlin Romtvedt (On Fieldwork, Returning Fall '25)Our Alumnæ:
Sarah Plovnick (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University)
Junius Brown V (Visiting Assistant Professor, Duke Kunshan University)
