Curriculum Vitae

PROFESSIONAL OVERVIEW 

Empowering 21st Century Cities and Citizens

I am passionate about community engagement, enhancement, and empowerment. I believe participatory art, education, public policy advocacy, and public green spaces, celebrating diversity in culture, race, sexual gender and orientation, economic status, and age, along with evolving urban design techniques that include individual/group food production in all living and work spaces, are the keys to achieving these goals. No one should be left out. No idea is insignificant. We are stronger and happier citizens when we work, live, and play together, in aesthetically pleasing environments.

My Master of Arts in Museum Studies research focus is “Tactical Urbanism and the Dynamic Shift to Embrace Deviance and Diversity: The Beauty and Tone of LA Street Art in Twenty-first Century Communities.” I am fascinated with contemporary art, and take advantage whenever possible to meet local and visiting artists to speak with them, watch them work, and observe how they connect with the communities in which they create and display their art. I recently volunteered as an ongoing exhibit docent for the fabulous art and activism event, INTO ACTION! It was an amazing experience sharing my passion and knowledge with visitors and working with the incredible organizers. I believe that employing tactical urbanism processes with street art and individual/group gardens are the keys to revitalizing cities and citizens. Reconnecting people to their space and to their food will create exponential health and well-being benefits. I continue to research systemic/neural structures and change methodology. By understanding how people think and why they make the choices that they do, successful campaigns can be implemented that prioritize ownership in creating healthy habits and beautiful environments. Whoever first told a child that playing with your food is bad, started society down a very bad path. Children, AND ADULTS, should play with their food! The relationship with your food is the most vital one any of us can have. Learn about/grow/harvest/prepare/enjoy your food, and then share it with others. When we reframe our most basic needs into our top priorities, everything else will fall into place.

I also take great pride in being a Native curator, as trained by heather ahtone, Senior Curator at the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City. I regularly attend events promoting Native art and culture, as well as events addressing ethical museum collection practices and misappropriation of Native culture in art and popular culture. I have spoken at various UCLA workshops and events on Native thought in relation to museum policies/practices and exhibit curation.

Systemic Management and Analysis for Increased Efficient/Effective/Sustainable Production

I am available for work in the fields of art curation, public art / urban planning, education, marketing, photography, social media management and analysis, collection / gallery management, community and cultural event planning and organization, public policy advocacy, and healthy living projects (with a focus on exercise as meditation and growing our own food). In addition to my degree focus on art history and architecture, photography, community organization, public planning, cultural, and environmental studies, I have extensive experience in Human Resources, finance, development, purchasing, marketing, printing and design. In my positions, I have exhibited a strong eye for detail, the ability to thrive and exceed expectations in varying environments, exceptional communication skills, and the capacity to meet deadlines in individual or team situations with an extremely high level of accuracy. I have studied organizational structure and change, with a focus on the role policies and procedures play in large institutions, and am always analyzing systems and proposing more efficient/effective/sustainable methods of improvement.