These are some of the things I’ve worked on that make me happy!

Art Direction

I love working with designers! In 2017, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth with a special 4 issue collector’s edition of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly Magazine. I’m really proud of this one. Working with my incredible graphic design fellow, Neeta Patel, we created a new size, shape, and look for the set. This design was later picked up and beautifully carried on by Neeta’s successor, Ruth Lin. We focused each issue of the set through the lens of the four types of architectural drawings, each with its own way of looking at Wright’s legacy: Plan (overview of his life), Section (a look inside the mind of a genius), Elevation (the planned exterior he constructed to show the world), and Perspective (his relevance today and beyond).

One of the coolest (and riskiest) pieces of the design was embedding a secret message in the spine that would be revealed once all of the issues were assembled together. It was risky, because we printed every four months, so we were never certain it was going to work until the final issue was printed a year later. It worked beautifully, and we’re all so proud of it to this day. I’m grateful to be able to collaborate with such talented designers, and to be able to lend my vision to ensure the product we deliver will stand the test of time.

Strategic Partnerships

The key ingredient in any true partnership is mutual benefit. That’s what made the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s partnership with Leica Geosytsems so successful. The global leader in the world of measurement and survey for 200 years, Leica Geosystems was looking to make a splash in announcing its breakthrough technology in 3D laser scanning, the BLK360. This tech is used by engineers, construction firms, and architects. What better location to prove the quality and efficiency of the product than at the home of the world’s greatest architect.

Leica Geosystems demonstrated proof of concept at the uniquely challenging site and shared the results with the world at a press launch event, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, in New York City. The Foundation received the highest quality scans for the preservation of the site that never had any formal architectural drawings or documentation, allowing the preservation team to complete much needed work. Virtual visitors can now visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site from the comfort of their devices, and both organizations received significant press for the launch and the partnership.

Programming

The Heard Museum was named "Best First Friday Stop" in the Phoenix New Times' Best of Phoenix contest! During my tenure as Director of Learning & Public Engagement, I had the privilege of leading the creative transformation of the programs at the Heard.

Hopi R2, designed by Duane Koyawena (Hopi/Tewa) and engineered by Joe Mastroianni at the Heard’s Free Family Summer Saturdays.

Celebrating the winners of the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest.

Hula dancer from Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā’ala, at the first ever Ho’olaule’a at the Heard.

With PBS Kids' star Molly of Denali, for her first ever visit to Arizona.

Three-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Kalani Pe'a in an outdoor concert at the Heard.

Outdoor movie night in the Heard's Courtyard.

The Phoenix Suns' Gorilla celebrating the release of the NBA team's jersey celebrating Arizona's 22 Native tribes.

One of the best ways to invite new audiences is through creative programs that align their interests with your work. They may think there’s no urgent reason to visit, until you reach Star Wars nerds with a fully operable Hopi R2, families with young kids to meet PBS’ Native Alaskan star Molly of Denali in person, NBA fans to celebrate the release of a thoughtfully designed uniform, or Hawaii devotees for food, fun, music, dance, and art straight from the islands. Or, you can throw all caution to the wind and throw a rollicking Native Drag Night! (All of which, and more, I did with award-winning programs at the Heard Museum.) But, don’t forget: You need to give them reasons to keep coming back!

Spoke Art + Frank Lloyd Wright:
Creative Approach to Audience Development

SC Johnson Research Tower by Thomas Danthony

In marketing the world’s greatest architect, we had a very vocal and committed fan base, but this was a group that was getting older and extinct. The challenge was to appeal a younger and more diverse audience, while still satisfying the base. I’d long been a fan of Spoke Art, a gallery with locations in New York, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, and a big online presence. They have a huge fan base of younger fans of pop culture art (I had become aware of them through their Wes Anderson “Bad Dads” show). I reached out to owner, Ken Harman Hashimoto, with the idea of tapping into his cadre of pop artists and illustrators to have them reinterpret Frank Lloyd Wright’s work through their own visual vocabulary. Ken agreed on the spot, and a successful partnership and friendship was born. “Frank Lloyd Wright: Timeless” happened 3 years in a row, to massive sales, critical success, and major PR visibility (thanks, in part to the amazing Jan Bracamonte of J. Lauren PR). And, it brought new audiences to Taliesin and Taliesin West and deep into Wright’s body of work. This show makes me really happy.

Wright Virtual Visits

Working in collaboration with my colleagues Eric Rogers of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and Heidi Ruehle of Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, we set out in March of 2020 to devise a way to keep our audiences engaged while our sites were closed during the Covid-19 shutdown. We created “Wright Virtual Visits,” a weekly series of live interactive videos which allowed virtual visitors to experience our sites, engage, ask questions, and explore the similarities and differences in Wright’s work. Because we launched in early April, we were among the first to deliver this type of interactive content that was desperately needed by audiences shut in at home. The series attracted large audiences and was featured in Architectural Digest, CNN, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, and many more news outlets. I was incredibly honored to receive the Wright Spirit Award, along with Eric and Heidi, for building enthusiasm for Wright’s work during a very challenging time, and am so happy to see the campaign continue to evolve and thrive today.

Today in AZ: Arts & Culture/Education Collaboration

Expect More Arizona was an education advocacy organization. As a part of our Today in AZ campaign, designed to give parents and caregivers an easy and fun daily activity to incorporate learning, I organized a cohort of 24 arts & culture organizations from across the state to participate. Each organization was able to fully customize a worksheet of 5 educational activities for families to do during their visit. Not only was it successful in building new audiences for Expect More Arizona and the partner organizations alike, it reinforced the idea that learning opportunities are always all around us!