Assistant Professor – Fashion Merchandising
Elka M. Stevens, Ph. D. is an Assistant Professor in & Coordinator of the Fashion Merchandising Program in the Department of Art at Howard University. She currently teaches Introduction to the Fashion Industry, African American Dress, Textiles, Clothing and Human Behavior, and Entrepreneurship. In addition to teaching for almost 20 years in both the United States and Ghana, West Africa, Dr. Stevens has worked as a product development specialist for Aid to Artisans in Ghana and for the Ministry of Trade and Modernization of the Capital City, both in Accra, Ghana; a micro-enterprise trainer for the Peace Corps in Ghana; and a technology trainer for the Ghana Tourism Capacity Development Initiative, a marketing project in Accra, Ghana.
Her research interests include international trade, visual culture, gender, and identity, using textiles and clothing as a lens of analysis. Her current research projects include an examination of the impact of globalization and trade policy on visual and material culture and creating digital collections. As an engaged artist/practitioner, her mixed media pieces explore issues of gender, identity, and global culture.
End-of-Semester Critique