Dr. Meagan Khoury investigates art historical questions of gender in later medieval and early modern Europe. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of labor collectives, authorial anonymity, the natural world, and busy bodies. Khoury’s work contributes to discourses of human-nonhuman interactions, ecologies of scale studies, and ecofeminist frameworks. Her intellectual commitments emphasize reparative models that inspire community-building and kinship in the classroom.

Currently, her research centers women’s communal living and silk, embroidery, and lace production in sixteenth-century Italy through an anarcha-ecofeminist lens. She has written previously on the journey narratives of Eleanor Rykener, a trans sex worker from fourteenth- century London; and on the connection between the metaphysical heart and breast for Saint Catherine of Siena. She co-edited the volume, “Medieval Mobilities: Gendered Bodies, Spaces, and Movements” (Palgrave McMillan, 2023). Khoury received her Ph.D. in Art History from Stanford University, her M.A. in Art History from the University of York (England), and her B.F.A. in Studio Art from The School of Visual Arts.

Hermona Tamrat is the founding principal of hgt studio, a Brooklyn-based structural engineering practice rooted in supporting the design of public, community-centric architecture, in the responsibility to advance social equity through the built environment. She obtained her Master’s in Structural Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. During her years practicing structural engineering at Silman (previously Robert Silman Associates, now T.Y. Lin), she collaborated with Herzog & de Meuron on the award-winning Powerhouse Arts Workshop. hgt studio has provided structural engineering support to artists Torkwase Dyson for her large scale outdoor sculptures at the Whitney Biennial 2024, and currently to Kenseth Armstead on various works including a forthcoming public sculpture in downtown Brooklyn.

Hermona is also an adjunct professor at Yale School of Architecture and Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

Hermona's CV is available here. 

See Brian Cusack's full CV.

Sheng Shi has more than 15 years of professional experience in the design, engineering and construction of commercial, institutional, K-12, government, historical preservation, and high rise projects from conception through close-out, while coordinating clients, contractors, budgets, schedules, and man-power. He possesses the communication tools, leadership, and unique interpersonal skills to foster teamwork between the design team, contractors, and clients. Some recently completed projects include MET II Complex, a 2.2 million square foot building; SUNY Stony Brook Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology, Buffalo State College Burchfield Penney Art Center, Manhasset Public Library, and Hampton Bay Middle School.

Mr. Shi has developed company wide structural engineering standards for design, specifications, and document presentations. He has also developed quality processes, monitors the execution of various projects and promotes interoffice exchange of information and technology.

Mr. Shi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters of Science degree in Structural Engineering, from Drexel University. He is an active member of numerous professional associations and is licensed in the State of New York, Delaware, Florida, and Washington. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Cooper Union.