Sydney Pursel

A light-skinned Indigenous woman with brown hair in a long braid over her right shoulder wears long shell earrings and a lace top; she smiles at the camera
she/her/hers
  • Curator for Public Practice

Biography

As the Spencer’s first Curator for Public Practice, Sydney initiates ways to involve community and incorporate feedback into exhibitions and programs. Her interests include community-based and socially engaged art; Indigenous art, culture, identity, and representation; and disability art, accessibility, and multisensory learning. She serves on the Native Faculty and Staff Council, Powwow and Indigenous Cultures Festival Committee, and the Indigenous Arts Initiative committee at the University of Kansas. She received an MFA in expanded media from KU and a BFA in painting from the University of Missouri. Sydney is a citizen of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.