BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

     Shawna Pies was born in Cincinnati, OH. She attended Ohio University in Athens,

OH, where she earned her B.A. in cultural anthropology (2007). While at studying at

Ohio University, Shawna worked as a curatorial research assistant at the Kennedy

Museum of Art in Athens, OH, where she researched Southwestern Native American

art. She conducted a senior honors thesis titled, Silver Strategies: Implications of

Advocacy and Authenticity of Zuni Artists. In 2007, Shawna joined the museum studies

graduate program at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. While working toward her

master's degree, she worked at the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) in the

Anthropology and Ethnology Division. She also planned the annual juried student art

show as Vice President of the Fine Arts College Council. As Vice Chair of Programs for

Museum Nights, Shawna organized monthly public museum events at the FLMNH. In

2008, Shawna interned in the curatorial department of the Smithsonian Center for

Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C., where she helped evaluate the

Bhutan Program at the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Upon graduation, Shawna

plans to continue exploring topics of digital access to museum collections and Native

American/ museum relationships