Work in Progress
About
I am an art historian, storyteller, educator, and editor based in the Boston area. My career has been rooted in the conviction that objects connect us to the past in uniquely visceral and personal ways—through their material presence, their singular histories, and their concrete ties to people and places. I relish opportunities to discover their stories—in the traces left by makers and users; in sketches, letters, and bills of sale; and in more intangible cultural reverberations. As a public-facing scholar, and as an editor, I am dedicated to making complex research and specialized discourses accessible and relevant to modern audiences through clear, vivid prose. An enthusiastic thought partner and collaborative leader, I am happiest in conversation with colleagues and communities, lifelong art enthusiasts and museum newcomers.
I hold a Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After fifteen years in curatorial and education roles at major art museums—including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and, most recently, the Harvard Art Museums—I am bringing my experience to independent projects in New England. My current work has me thinking about art in Gilded Age public libraries, regional art networks and landscapes, and New England’s ties to Caribbean plantation economies.
To learn more, check out my full CV ↗.
Projects
Work in Progress
Woburn Public Library Art Collection
Work in Progress
Agostino Brunias at Harvard
Publication
“Bards, Druids, and Warriors: Picturing Celts in Early Nineteenth-Century France”
Exhibition
The Solomon Collection: Dürer to Degas and Beyond
Publication
The Solomon Collection: Dürer to Degas and Beyond
Exhibition
Anecdotes and Artifacts: Early 19th-century French Artists Reimagine History
Exhibition
Woven for the World: Picturing Kashmiri Textiles Across Cultures
Publication
“Offshoots: The Literary and Artistic Context”
Publication
“‘Small gifts foster friendship’: Hortense de Beauharnais, Amateur Art Practice, and the Politics of Exchange in Post-Revolutionary France”
Publication
Une Histoire Particulière: The Troubadour Style and Gendered Historical Consciousness in Early Nineteenth-Century France
Publication
“Actualité de la recherche: Pierre Henri Révoil, Jeanne d’Arc prisonnière à Rouen, vers 1819”
Publication
“What’s in an art lesson?”
Engagement
askBKM
Publication
Historic Exhibitions: The Armory Show
Exhibition
Cézanne’s Harlequin
Work With Me
Collection Research & Advisory
Want to know more about your collection? I work with small museums, libraries, historical societies, collectors, and estates to research, document, and make sense of the objects in their care. I can help with establishing cataloguing standards and systems; conducting a collection assessment and condition survey; advising on acquisition and deaccession plans; and provenance research before a purchase or sale.
Interpretive Strategy & Writing
Planning to share your collection with a public audience? I can help develop project goals, identify audiences, define visitor learning objectives, bring community voices into the conversation, and compose your ideas into clear, engaging prose.
Editing for the Arts & Humanities
Working on a book, article, or exhibition catalogue that needs a sharp, sympathetic eye? I edit academic and public-facing writing in the arts and humanities at every stage: developmental editing to help clarify argument and structure; line editing to sharpen prose; and copyediting to standardize the final text according to the Chicago Manual of Style. I have guided multi-author publications from first draft to print, and I enjoy helping writers find the clearest, most engaging version of their ideas.
Private Tours & Public Programs
Looking for a knowledgeable, down-to-earth guide to show you around an art museum? Or a versatile educator to deliver a lecture, workshop, or gallery talk at your institution? I offer private tours and contracted public programs at cultural institutions in the Boston metropolitan area.
Scholarly Contributions
Interested in my scholarship or curatorial work? I am a specialist in early-nineteenth-century French art, with a broad knowledge of eighteenth- through twentieth-century European and American art. My scholarly interests focus on the histories of collecting and display, the gender politics of art, historical consciousness, and cross-cultural representation. I welcome opportunities to collaborate on or contribute to publications, exhibitions, and symposia.
Contact
Tell me a little about your project, and I’ll be in touch.