I am a Professor of Art History at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. My area of specialization is contemporary art. My dissertation entitled, The Art of Leon Golub (1946-1978), was a chronologically structured account of the development of a Chicago born, New York based contemporary figurative artist. I teach a wide range of undergraduate courses including introductory surveys of Western Art and upper level courses on 19th and 20th century art, modern architecture, contemporary art and architecture, art history methods and the neuroscience of art
For the last ten years, I have been involved in introducing students and the scholarly community to a contemplative approach to art. I have presented numerous papers on this topic and also introduced meditative practices involving art in my upper level art history classes. The promotion of a contemplative approach also dovetails with my interest in the neuroscience of art which is important for explaining the aesthetic experience in scientific terms as well as potentially demonstrating the power of the art experience to transform brain function.
Contact:
(540) 654.1938