Sydney Summey is a graduate student in the PhD program. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in photography from The Ohio State University in 2022 and her Masters in Art Education from The Ohio State University in 2026. Sydney began by cultivating her photographic practice during her undergraduate years to both critically challenge master narratives and visually author Black life. Her recent research stems from this, exploring Black matriarchal archives and photography as method and pedagogy in art education, understanding the Black archive specifically through the one her Nana made for her family. Deeply influenced by Black feminist theorists such as Tina M. Campt, Sydney appreciates grammar that articulates Black futurity and re-values the Black experience and everyday ways of living. Continuing her education, Sydney will expand her curiosities and opportunities to learn from other Black archives.

Research Interests

• Black Archival Practices
• Black Matriarchal Archives
• Arts-Based Research/Photography as method
• Black Feminist Theory