I am an art conservator and doctoral student, and I spend my time writing, presenting, teaching, and advocating on issues related to conservation and the museum field, including:
- Leadership, especially inclusive and equitable practice
- Community-based conservation
- Paper and preventive conservation research
- Creating systemic change in the workplace, in the field, and in higher education
- Workplace advocacy, including salary negotiation and union organizing
I recently returned to school as a PhD student in Preservation Studies at the University of Delaware, and my work there ties closely with my advocacy work. My research examines issues of access, power, and representation in conservation. I am researching how conservation's colonial roots impacted the construction of its ethics, values, and practices. I plan to study community-led institutions that are redefining the boundaries of conservation and who is considered a conservator. I'm particularly interested in how activating cultural heritage items through use contributes to their conservation.
You can find some of my other work in the pages of this website.
If you'd like to learn more or discuss any of these topics further, please feel free to reach out. I'd love to hear from you!