Art & Art History Alumni

MA, Art History, 2016

Access to courses that were relevant and faculty whose areas of study directly related to my own were my top priorities. University of Colorado Boulder had both of those things. Having the opportunity to work with Dr. James Córdova, and then Dr. Annette de Stecher in my second year, was the primary draw. I know my time working with them (among all of the other incredible faculty in the program) really elevated my work and helped develop critical thinking skills and theoretical framing that I still use today—both as an arts professional and as a person.

I look back and know I absolutely made the right choice. I couldn’t have asked for more supportive faculty. My interests are varied, and when I decide I want to do something, it’s difficult to talk me out of it. If there was something I wanted to do, even if it was unprecedented or part of an abnormal trajectory for an art history graduate student, the conversation was never “oh, that won’t work,” but instead “let’s try and make that work for you.”

I had the chance to travel to Peru for research, thanks to support from a United Government of Graduate Students travel grant. Environmental and architectural context were critical to my work—my thesis wouldn’t have been the same without that opportunity to travel.

I also often reflect back on the experience I had as a teaching assistant. While I was excited and honored to receive the opportunity to teach initially, I had no idea when I started the program that teaching would have such a massive impact on my life. Working in a university now, I can’t overstate how formative an undergraduate college experience can be. I feel so grateful when I think back to the conversations about art that I got to have with students each week, where we could ask difficult questions and learn together.

I’m currently serving as the Director of Communications at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. The museum focuses on the art of our time—in dialogue with the historical—and encourages engagement with timely issues of local relevance and global significance, such as restorative, environmental, and racial justice. I’m fortunate enough to work in one of the few Zaha Hadid-designed buildings in the United States as well. It’s a pretty big perk! We also have a second space across the street—the MSU Broad Art Lab—that houses community-driven programming and exhibitions that focus on experimentation and collaboration in art-making.

I think quite a bit about how everything I experienced in graduate school led me to this position. While I had years of professional communications experience, my leadership style is deeply rooted in the classroom—as both a graduate teaching assistant and a student—where listening, co-learning, negotiating, and making decisions are all of equal importance.