Across my teaching of both art and art history, I approach learning as fundamentally consensual. I believe we gain real knowledge only when we seek and accept it. In other words, being a teacher does not mean only providing information, but fostering curiosity.

In my classrooms, I work to combat the inherent power imbalance between student and teacher by soliciting and celebrating forms of lived or unconventional knowledge that students all have and by encouraging them to incorporate their experiences into their work. I also challenge sometimes-stifling notions of academic expertise by trying to perform not-knowing in order to build acceptance around asking questions or engaging with topics that we are not experts in. Second, I recognize that in an ideal classroom, I am learning alongside my students. In practice, this means ceding authority, giving students space to explore, research, experiment, and share, and ensuring that I also stay curious. Overall, I see the classroom as a collaborative space where everyone in the room is a contributor. 

As a neurodivergent person who struggled within traditional educational structures, I teach with an enduring commitment to accessibility, equity, and differentiated learning, recognizing that people engage and excel in different ways and that accessible environments strengthen learning for everyone. My experience designing a leadership development program taught me to balance authority and facilitation, crafting assignments and assessments that foster growth without privileging prior knowledge or experience. In practice, this means offering flexible yet rigorous modes of engagement, as I did in my course “Sensing Place,” where students explored historical and theoretical questions through self-designed final projects across multiple forms. Whether teaching through discussion or lecture, I aim to tell historically grounded stories that foreground stakes, context, and the “why” and “so what,” inviting students to make their own connections. I see teaching as a creative act—one that brings together my work as an artist, historian, and once-struggling student—and I strive to model curiosity, care, and shared inquiry so that students see themselves as active contributors to knowledge.