Kristen J. Owens is a curator and librarian with scholarly interests at the intersection of Black studies, fashion studies and the visual arts. Kristen holds an MA in visual culture: costume studies and an MS in library and information science from New York University’s dual degree program with Long Island University. She received a BA in fashion studies from Montclair State University. Kristen is currently the Librarian for African American and Black Diaspora Studies at New York University Libraries and guest curator of the exhibition The Story of Newark Fashion: Atelier to Runway (February 22-June 2, 2024) at The Newark Museum of Art.