Professionally
I am an historian masquerading as a museologist. Or maybe, I am the reverse. I love history, art, and critical theory. My interests in history are extraordinarily broad. Though my research is focused on African history, I have completed several projects that study rural America, popular culture, and the history of ethnography. And I became interested in African history because of a museum exhibit of contemporary African art that I wandered through at the National Museum of African Art. If I am an expert in anything, it’s learning quickly.

I attend graduate school at Texas Tech University to obtain a master of arts degree in museum science. My thesis proposes a theory of postcolonial museology centered around the interpretation of Jenne-jeno terracottas. I argue that museums should use postcolonialism as a lens for exhibition narratives because, as a current phenomenon, it expands the ways in which material culture can facilitate visitor engagement. Primarily, I translate postcolonial theory into a workable model for museums, but I also contribute to postcolonial theory by suggesting that citizens of former imperial powers need to go through the process of postcoloniality in order to undo the discursive idea of Africa left behind by colonialism.

I try to keep myself as versatile as possible. I really do it all—design databases, interpret art, evaluate history, and build websites. I even handprint invitations for special events. In museums, I love that my degree qualifies me to take the direction that I choose in my career. I’m most interested in museum interpretation and education because I’m really passionate about the importance of museums in our communities as bastions of interpreting popular identity. Thus, I want to interact with the public and directly serve the museum’s audience as much as possible. I would also love a position that combines these needs with other needs of a small museum. I love a challenging work environment and always want to stay busy. I’m ambitious and excited about the possibility of directing a museum in the future.

I like to read, design websites, journal, microblog on twitter, take occasional photographs, pine after the days when writing poetry came more easily, knit and crochet, and spend time with Kyle, my spouse. We have a cat, Logan, and a dog, Oats. Both pets were rescued from the streets. I found Logan while living in an apartment in undergrad. Always trying to take in strays, I called to him and he took a few steps toward me so I scooped him up and brought him home. Oats was a little harder to coax. She was less than a year old and scared of people and other animals. By the second attempt at catching her, we succeeded and took her home where she was promptly bathed, had all the ticks pulled off of her, and had mats cut out. She then slept for two days. Now, she’s awake a lot more often and she’s turned into the best little dog.

Activities Leisure, Swimming, Bicycling, Photographing, Writing, Reading, Cooking

Interests Museums, Informal learning, Design, Contemporary art, Material culture, History, Identity, Art history, Poetry, Catholicism

Music Neutral Milk Hotel, Ani DiFranco, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Conor Oberst, Bob Dylan, The Shins, Jack’s Mannequin, Death Cab for Cutie, Camera Obscura, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Owen Youngs, Another Roadside Attraction

Books The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, House of Leaves, Fall on Your Knees, Ender’s Game

Movies The Squid and the Whale, The United States of Leland, The Royal Tennenbaums, Bottle Rocket, I Heart Huckabees, Garden State, Little Children, Wedding Crashers, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Television The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Treme, The Wire, Arrested Development, The West Wing, L&O SVU, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Freaks and Geeks