Statement

The Society of Historians of East European, Eurasian, and Russian Art and Architecture, Inc. (SHERA) is an affiliated society of the College Art Association (CAA) and of the Association of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). As such, it is a not-for-profit corporation oriented exclusively towards the support of scholarship. The purpose of SHERA is to promote research, provide a forum for ongoing conversations on areas of mutual interest, and foster contacts and collaboration among scholars of East European, Eurasian, and Russian art and architecture through activities such as an online newsletter, a discussion network, active participation in research conferences, and book reviews. SHERA runs a website, H-Net discussion network, Facebook page, and Bluesky feed, and organizes sessions at scholarly conferences administered by CAA and ASEEES.

A Brief History of SHERA (under construction)

SHERA was founded in 1995 through the efforts of Karen Kettering and Pamela Kachurin, and remained an active scholarly society with regular meetings until 2004. After that point, it continued as a moderated Listserv—curated and consistently maintained by Tamara Jhasi—which served as a vital resource for scholars of East European and Russian art. The Society was revitalized in 2013 through the initiative of Margaret Samu, Yelena Kalinsky, and Ksenya Gurshtein, with the active support of Tamara Jhasi. In 2025, SHERA celebrates its 30th anniversary with the launch of a new website, a series of events reflecting on the current state of the field, and an oral history project that documents the Society’s early years.

Past Presidents

From Margaret Samu’s presidency onward, presidential terms initially lasted three years, with elections held in odd-numbered years, until the position transitioned to a one-year term in 2020 under Kristin Romberg. A new three-year structure was then established, in which the incumbent first serves as Incoming President, shadowing the President, then assumes leadership of SHERA for a year (marked below in brackets), and finally remains on the Board as Outgoing President for another year in an advisory role.

Alice I. Sullivan (2024)

Aglaya Glebova (2023)

Maria Taroutina (2022)

Christina C. Crawford (2021)

Kristin Romberg (2020)

Karen Kettering (2019-20)

Eva Forgacs (2017-19)

Natasha Kurchanova (2015-17)

Margaret Samu (2013-15)

Past Secretary-Treasurers

The Secretary-Treasurers are responsible for overseeing membership registration and renewals via the SHERA website, as well as maintaining the membership list. Their other primary responsibility is managing the organization's finances. Since SHERA's revival in 2013, Yelena Kalinsky has served multiple terms as Secretary-Treasurer—our existence today is largely thanks to her invaluable salvage work!

Maja Babic (2022-24)

Alice I. Sullivan (2018-21)

Ksenia Nouril (2016-2018)

Yelena Kalinsky (2013-2016)

Past Communications Officers

This service role has evolved significantly over the years in both title and scope of responsibilities. Previously known as Web News Editor and Web Officer, the position has encompassed a range of duties that have shifted over time. Past Communications Officers were responsible for maintaining the news section of the SHERA website, regularly updating it with information about upcoming conferences, calls for papers, recent publications, exhibitions, summer schools, and other events relevant to our membership. Following Ksenya Gurshtein’s term, day-to-day communications moved from the website to the H-SHERA platform, a transition facilitated by Yelena Kalinsky, who was working at H-Net at the time. Today, SHERA’s primary mode of communication for internal matters is the mailing list, managed through Mailchimp. Of notice here

Ekaterina Heath (2019-23)

Corina Lucia Apostol (2017-2019)

Amy Bryzgel (2016-2017)

Ksenya Gurshtein (2013-16)

Tamara Jhashi (2004-2013)

Pamela Kachurin (1995-2004)

SHERA Bulletin

The Bulletin was an important vehicle for scholarly exchange and community-building during SHERA’s early years. Established by Karen Kettering, it was envisioned as a companion to the Institute of Modern Russian Culture (IMRC), with a broader scope that included East-Central Europe, Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, and extended beyond the modern period. It was also inspired by the College Art Association’s “State of the Field” series published in The Art Bulletin in the 1990s. The Bulletin was professionally designed by Prof. Jayne Matlack Whitaker, a graphic designer and Karen Kettering’s colleague at the University of Dayton. In the pre-digital era—before the advent of the web, Pages, or InDesign—she laid out each issue by hand, planned page spreads, and sent the files to the printer after selecting the cover color. It was an exceptional luxury to have a professionally designed periodical at no cost beyond printing. Jennifer Cahn, Pamela Kachurin, and Tamara Jhasi played key roles in editing and organizing the publication. SHERA retains a complete set of the Bulletin, and we are currently working to make it accessible through the new website.