Collection strategy, acquisitions, interpretation, exhibitions, and long-horizon planning.

Curatorial Advisory

I advise collectors and institutions on the long game: coherence, context, and cultural value that lasts.

My work sits at the intersection of collections, institutions, and public meaning—curating projects in the U.S. and abroad, convening seminars, and working inside the ecosystems that shape cultural stewardship, from archives to grant-funded research.

The through-line is simple: how museums build meaning. What gets preserved. What gets framed. What gets left out. Through MuseumViews, I’ve spent two decades in sustained conversation with directors, curators, and cultural leaders—bringing research discipline, narrative clarity, and the conviction that rigor should never require obscurity.

Collection strategy

A collection is not a storage solution—it’s a point of view. I help articulate the logic that holds it together.

• Define the collection’s thesis and intent
• Set scope and standards: priorities, exclusions, quality thresholds
• Identify strengths, gaps, redundancies, and areas for depth
• Align strategy with mission, audience, and legacy (private, public, or hybrid)

Typical outputs: Collection narrative; strategy memo; focus areas; acquisition principles.

Acquisitions support

Support for confident decisions—intellectually, ethically, and narratively.

• Assess fit and significance within your collection’s direction
• Provide context, comparables, and positioning (why this work matters here)
• Flag sensitivities and reputational considerations with clear due diligence
• Write committee/board-ready briefs that reduce noise and sharpen judgment

Typical outputs: Acquisition brief; artist/context dossier; committee summary.

Interpretation / exhibitions

Making collections legible, compelling, and worth returning to—without flattening complexity.

• Shape exhibition concepts: thesis → structure → sequence
• Design visitor flow: pacing, reveal, and narrative coherence across rooms
• Write with clarity: labels, wall text, curator statements, catalogue voice
• Align programs—talks, screenings, performances, education—so they serve the story

Typical outputs: Exhibition outline; interpretive framework; label/script drafts; program architecture.

Long-horizon cultural planning

For collectors and institutions planning beyond the next season.

• Build multi-year priorities: programs, partnerships, and growth strategy
• Support founder/board alignment: mission clarity and decision-making structure
• Map relationships: institutions, scholars, artists, communities—who matters and why
• Plan for legacy: how the collection/institution will read in 10–25 years

Typical outputs: Strategic narrative; partnership map; multi-year priorities; planning memos.

Discreet availability

Serious work benefits from a calm container.

• Available for ongoing advisory, committee participation, and board-level contribution
• Engagement formats: project-based consulting or steady counsel over time
• Confidentiality-first approach; sensitive conversations treated accordingly
• Small portfolio by design: limited engagements at a time
• Best fit: intellectually serious projects with cultural ambition—private collections, institutions, foundations

If you’re shaping a collection or institution with a long view, I’m happy to talk.

Selected background

• Founder, MuseumViews (platform and consultancy; roots in 1999, established as MuseumViews in 2003)
• Founder, International Museum Professionals Day (IMPD, est. 2014), convening a global network spanning curatorial, conservation, education, and collections teams.
• Convening and seminars, including at the University of Oxford
• Collections and research experience including Harvard’s Fine Arts Library and work supporting NEH grant proposals
• Education: Oxford (History of Art & Collecting), Courtauld (MA), Harvard (Museology); theater training at Stella Adler

For selected writing and interviews: Writings.