MY MUSEUM EXPERIENCE
My first museum work was at The Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia where I helped create a film on the Native Americans of Virginia. That was followed by The Virginia Museum of Fine Art, where I got involved in theater department education outreach program.
In the mid-70s, I moved to New York City and had an era working at The Strand Book Store, followed by a position as Education Associate at NYC Board of Education, where I conducted youth employment and training workshops for teenagers. I gained valuable experience with these positions for my future work in museum education.
I returned to the museum world in 1983 when I joined the startup staff of The Center for African Art, that first opened to the public in 1984. I assisted with the grand opening and then served there in various capacities, including education, for 4 years.
In 1988 I joined the Brooklyn Museum as an educator and intern coordinator, and spent the next 8 years there. While I trained educators to teach in all the galleries, I had a particular interest in the Egyptian and traditional African Art galleries where storytelling became one of my primary methods for teaching.
In 1996 I became Director of Education with my previous employer, now Museum for African Art, in their new Soho facilities. As Director my responsibilities were greatly expanded with programming for students and adults and a broad range of activities under my supervision.
In 1999, I joined the Brooklyn Children’s Museum where I served as Senior Project Developer for the Collections Department for the next 10 years.
I retired from the Museum world in 2009.
my other interests
Alongside my museum work I have served as an Adjunct Instructor at Parsons School of Design, The New School, since 1993, and at New York City College of Technology since 2012.
I have served as lecturer on museum education techniques at Royal Ontario Museum, 1999; Newark Museum, 1997; Queens Museum of Art, 1997-1998; Georgia Museum of Art, 1997; Hudson River Museum, 1997; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1997; Studio Museum in Harlem, 1997.
I also served as a Smithsonian Institution Lecturer for a Smithsonian sponsored Crystal Cruise Line 3-week journey up the Atlantic African coast from Cape Town to Las Palmas in 2001.
I am also a writer and was honored to have provided the libretto to Stephen Cronin’s song cycle "House Songs" which won the Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize in Australia in 1991.