2021-Present Founding Coordinator of Extended Learning Conservatory Lab Charter School, Dorchester MA

Design and build out of school time programming to serve students and their families following a schedule change at the school. Programs include a partnership with the YMCA of Greater Boston, tutoring, athletics, and a brand new arts enrichment program called the Make Move and Jam Clubs.

Starting from scratch during the 2020-21 school year the program grew a culture of participation in extracurricular activities. By March, 215 students (48%) participated in Out of School Time (OST) activities every week.

2018-2021 Senior Manager of Development and Communications
Conservatory Lab Foundation, Dorchester MA

Created systematic development and communications calendar to document and share the work of the school so that donors and other constituents understand the work that teachers and students do every day.

Managed donor and foundation relationships to steward the positive impact of the school through data management and consistent outreach through a variety of channels, from social media to in person relationships; and donor letters to volunteer and board driven telephone campaigns.

2018 Research Assistant
Project Zero; Cambridge, MA

Analyze qualitative survey data from teacher professional development platform to find trends and connect to the narrative of Project Zero in impact stories and other analyses.

2017-18 Quality Performance Assessment Intern
Center for Collaborative Education; Boston, MA

Co-author a white paper about micro-credentials (Teacher Professional Development). Develop tool to orient teachers to the cognitive demands on Learners of EAL, and compile resources for EL and K-5 Quality Performance Assessments team to use in coaching.

2013-17 Program Director, FLY Creativity Lab, Ypsilanti, MI

Develop, teach, and curate interdisciplinary student-centered curriculum in an innovative multi-modal arts outreach program. FLY has since been adopted by the Riverside Art Center where the programs team continues to provide OOST programming, summer and weekend classes, and community events in collaboration with other CBO’s. Manage teaching staff, and operations.

2007-09 Conversation Teaching Fellow
Colegio San AgustinMadrid Spain

Teach speaking and writing skills for English as a Foreign Language instruction for the equivalents of Kindergarten, 7th grade, 9th grade, and 11th grade. Used art and design as a medium of motivation and instruction. Give assessments of speaking and writing.

2005-07 Conversation Teaching Fellow,
CEIP Valderrey; Algete, Madrid, Spain

Design curriculum for PreK and Kindergarten , art classes, and some science classes. Teach Pre-K-5th grade. Receive training and certification for TEFL, CLIL, and Bilingualism via the MEC of Madrid.

1999-2005 Craft Department Manager
Pearl Art & Craft; Chicago, IL

Manage up to 10 employees day to day tasks. Control inventory and purchasing for upwards of 100k SKU’s for a department with $1 million annual gross. Manage relationships with corporate office, other stores, and vendors during transition to central inventory control.

2021-22 Development and Communications Consultant, Conservatory Lab Foundation, Dorcheter MA

Provide technical assistance and on-boarding support for Development team at Conservatory Lab in order to create institutional continuity for new staff and consultants.

2019 Education and Non-Profit Consultant
Beyond Walls, Lynn MA

Wrote pilot tour curriculum which received local and national press coverage for Middle School Tour program focused on Lynn Public Schools strategic plan. Contributed to larger education and curatorial strategy as Beyond Walls deepens and scales their programming.

2018- 19 Curriculum Designer
Reflection Theatre Company, Cambridge MA and China (remote)

Wrote curriculum materials and adapted a traditional Chinese children’s story to scaffold TESOL, SEL, and STEAM learning goals through a cross-disciplinary visual and dramatic arts framework.

2018-19 UI-UX and Education Consultant
KindScreen, Allston MA

Contribute to start-up team to develop content and processes for a new app that connects parents using examples in children’s media to promote and model SEL skills.

2013-17 English Langauge Assessment Consultant
Michigan Language Assessments; Ann Arbor, MI

Assess spoken and written English. Develop test-items for speaking tests. Monitor other speaking-test examiners and raters for Quality Control and inter-rater reliability. Participate in linking studies and piloting of tests and test items.

2013-17 Guest Lecturer and Costume Designer
Greenhills School, Ann Arbor MI

Deliver design-learning and character analysis in the context of the Technical Theatre class and serve as a long-term substitute during a prolonged absence by the TD, including supervision of the shop, set-construction, and running the boards during weekly assemblies. Design and coordinate volunteers for costumes. (see Theatrical Productions below)

2011-20 Digital and Graphic designer
SCP and Kunst & Papier; Palo Alto CA (remote)

Manage product websites for importers of Art Materials using skills in product photography, graphic layouts, Spreadsheets, HTML, CSS, WordPress and transfer to print catalogs and product headers, as needed. Assist at trade shows and create product demos. Launch social media efforts.

2010-13 Production Consultant; Photozini Inc; Menlo Park CA

Perfect and reduce time on hand-folding production process by 40% and train new production team to hand it off. Streamline person-run magazine photo-layout process and set design guidelines in collaboration with COO and other design-team members using Adobe CS (Photoshop, Bridge, InDesign, Illustrator). Track and fill social media and orders using CMS (Salesforce, HootSuite).

2011-12 Fashion Design and Production; Weltenbuerger LA
Los Angeles CA

Designed garments based on description and/or by patterning and modifying from existing vintage pieces. Trained and managed 2 interns and gave pattern-making and drawing lessons to owner. Maintained industrial Merrow and Zig-zag machines as well as 2 heavy-duty home machines. Run productions of 5-7 items, and make patterns to source larger runs.

2012 Guest Instructor
Drama Bee Summer Camps; Los Angeles, CA

Give visual arts and digital photography instruction to young learners. Contribute to story-telling during ideation and rehearsal and back-stage work during performances. Design paper-bag-based flower costumes.

2006-09 Curriculum Designer and Instructor
Studio in a Backpack Independent Art and English, Madrid, Spain

Teach English as a Foreign language to people from 3 years old to adult. Use art directly with young learners to foster language acquisition in visually and kinesthetically rich environments that reflect authentic American culture. Select mostly art-industry adult clients, including people in the graphic design, curatorial, and fine arts professions and help them to improve their linguistic range and control of industry specific language via radio, magazines, and journals focused on the arts.

Ubiquitous Obsolescence Dandelion Light: Summer 2024
Unbound Visual Arts Overlook Gallery, Brighton MA

Ubiquiotous Obsolescence was inspired by a call for entry of things that we use once and throw away. Thinking about the coffee bags that my friend saves in his coffee shop, I decided to try making something from them, and the result was a Dandelion Light.

Mahtava: Spectactular Space Creature: FoolMoon, April 8, 2023
Wonderfool Productions, Ypsilanti MI

Mahtava means Spectacular in Finnish, and this enormous breathing inflatable creature inspired by supernovas and sweet-gum pods took up residence at the 2023 FOOLmoon in the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. It has since been installed in a few other locations including private parties in Brookline and JP. If you are interested in having Mahtava visit you, drop me a line.

Emerging Wonder Shadow Ballet: FoolMoon, April 1, 2022
Wonderfool Productions, Ypsilanti MI

A participatory shadow play that combined a place-based media project focused on bugs, caterpillars and flowers with puppets created by visitors to Alice in WonderFOOLs. Taking the perspective of odd scales experienced by both Alice and the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, visitors got to see their own works at ten times the size! In addition, a second perspective from the Caterpillar was featured in GLOW TV.

Open Studio: Emerging Wonder and other Films, March 25, 2022
Jamaica Plain MA

Host a preview and test for the final installation of Emerging Wonder, and share a screening of other process and place based drawings with live flute music and shadow-puppet maker workshop for adults.

BREATHE: Ypsi Glow, October 29, 2021
Wonderfool Productions, Ypsilanti MI

Design and facilitate a site specific installation in the gazebo at Riverside Park that connected people across our shared experiences in coping with and breathing through the height of the pandemic caused by COVID-19.

Ypsi Glow and Glow TV, October 30, 2020
Wonderfool Productions, Ypsilanti MI

Create video short for GLOW TV while the YpsiGLOW festival was remote in 2020.

JamaicaWay Matins: Fossil-Fools, April 3, 2020,
Wonderfool Productions, Kerry Town, Ann Arbor, MI

Facilitate a participatory digital project focused on urban ecology to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Inspired by the work of Finnish composer Ainojuhani Rautavaara, the work combines digital animation, sound, and participatory elements, and was modified to include at-home workshops so that people could participate while observing public health physical distancing measures.

In-Between THoughts, September 2019
Invitational Showing, Jamaica Plain, MA

An invitational open-studio showing of current digital installation work.

PhotoRelay, April-May 2018
Peabody Terrace and Petsi Pies, Cambridge MA

Participate in a community photo-association project

In the Midst of Our Portraits April 2018
Gutman Library, Cambridge MA

The Cathedral of M-14 selected Photos, and Lake Superior Rocks digitally printed quilt wall-hanging

PopX: Marie Tharp, October 2016
The Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI

Installation in collaboration with colleagues from FLY Creativity Lab to document our work with youth and raise local awareness of Marie Tharp, a pioneering woman cartographer from Ypsilanti.

FLY Teacher Feature: Honeybee Festival, September 2016
The Off-Center Gallery/FLY Creativity Lab

Curator for the show and display Walk-in Honeycomb installation

UNTIED-UNITED, December 2016
DIYpsi/Riverside Arts Center, Ypsilanti MI

Interactive fiber installation to celebrate the diversity of people and choices as it makes Ypsilanti a stronger community.

FLY Teacher Show, October 2015
FLY Creativity Lab, Ypsilanti MI

Curator and showed Prints, Drawings, and Fiber Works in Progress

The Circle Show, Spring 2015
FLY Creativity Lab/Full Circle Community Center, Ypsilanti Michigan

Added paintings and collaborative mobile from FLY project to the permanent collection of the community center.

“El Torrejon” 2007
Segovia and Madrid, Spain

Handmade Book and Documentary Project

“Candidam Nubem” 2006
Madrid, Spain

Video documentation project in collaboration with Spanish Artist, Curra Rueda

Blossoming, Summer 2005
River North Gallery District Starbucks, Chicago, IL

Prints drawings paintings (one-man show)

Urban Flowers, Fall 2004
Anna’s Bar*, Chicago, Chicago IL

Prints, drawings, paintings (one-man show)

Fall: Group Show, Fall 2003
Monkey Business, Chicago, IL
“Forest” textile piece in window, assorted prints, mask and jewelry

Turning, Fall 2002
Gallery B, Chicago, IL

Drawings of leaves and flowers in group show

Fall, October 2001
Gallery B, Chicago, IL

Prints based on leaves in group show

2019, 2021, Curated and printed a magazine featuring the impact of Environmental Education at Conservatory Lab sponsored by a grant from The Cedar Tree Foundation.

2018-2021 Production Editor and Author for Conservatory Lab’s blog content designed to feature unique aspects of the school’s educational model.

Kuriacose, C. , Warn, A. (2018) A Movement Towards Personalized Professional Learning: An Exploration of Six Educator Micro-credential Programs. Boston, MA. Center for Collaborative Education. accessible on: http://cce.org/files/CCE-Micro-credentials-White-Pape.pdf
[and Blog: http://cce.org/thought-leadership/blog/post/whats-a-microcredential ]

Harvard Alumni of Color Conference 2024: Mural Illusions Club Agamograph

We brought our transportable mural, a foldable Agamograph to share with HGSE AOCC attendees. Building on the previous year students presented what they have learned about Design Thinking. Students and Mr. Santiago then helped lead a maker project where session attendees got to make a mini-Agamograph out of paper to take home.

Harvard Alumni of Color Conference 2023: Building Empathy

Representing Conservatory Lab in collaboration with students and Art Teacher José Santiago, and visiting artist Nora Valdez, we presented a work of art and a method of designing a student-centered arts-driven project for other teachers and schools.

Conservatory Lab Foundation in Collaboration with Conservatory Lab Charter School
2021 Webinar: Carry On, Carry Forward

Design and facilitate a webinar to feature some of the practices that built a strong community for students at Conservatory Lab during the period of remote learning due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and how they will inform future practice.

PARC Amphiban Week, June 2020, June 2021

Facilitate live and asynchronous workshops to raise awareness about Amphibians in the United States and around the world. PARC stands for Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and each year they coordinate a nationwide campaign called Amphibian Week.

Make it out of the Ordinary: Wonderfool Productions Fool Moon Community Spring 2020

Collaborate with WonderFOOL Productions Executive Director and staff to launch a social media workshop designed to create community through drawing and workshops to create drawings, lanterns, and other do-it-at-home projects during isolation.

Songs To Urban Ecology: Wonderfool Productions and Harvard Graduate School of Education

Translate planned in-person creations designed to be part of an art show at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Gutman Library and as part of FOOLmoon 2020 to an online participatory program with a set of workshops to foster environmental awareness through the arts with participants of all ages.

Boston APP Lab in partnership with Figment
2019 Figment Street FestivaL

Collaborate with local street art muralists and fellow board members to facilitate a workshop on Street Art style stencils at Figment in downtown Boston.

Harvard Graduate School of Education
2018 Student Research Conference

Presentation on Making Music Visible: YPAR to raise Critical Consciousness and Art. An in-progress youth driven curriculum design to raise empathy through understanding of music theory. http://makingvisiblemusic.com

Harvard Graduate School of Education
2018 China Eduation Symposium

Present a Rube Goldberg Maker Space to promote the use of STEAM education in China. Using the ingenuity of the band OK Go! and their use of Rube Goldberg devices in Music Videos as an inspiration, attendees made a seasonal Automata (an Exploratorium project expanded and kid-tested in FLY Creativity Lab outreach) and Marble Chutes (a project developed at FLY).

Harvard Graduate School of Education
2017 October Monday Night Remix

Present a fun mono-print exercise using styrofoam plates, tempera paint, spray-bottles, towels, and printmaking paper. Make cards with HGSE students, faculty and staff.

Craft and Hobby Association
2012 Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show, Anaheim CA

Create educational materials and provide demonstrations for decorating and using model building materials from Wee-Scapes and Kunst & Papier sketchbooks.

2018 Ed. M. Arts in Education Harvard Graduate School of Education

2017 CoRE Certificate HBX @ Harvard Business School

2010 B.A. Art & Education DePaul University; Art & Education

2006 TEFL Certificate Ministry of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Community of Madrid
EFL Conversation Teaching Fellow, Madrid, Spain

BFA Coursework Fiber and Materials Studies and Print Media, The School of the Art Institute of chigao

BFA Coursework Costume Technology & Design, the Theatre School at Depaul University

• English (Native)
• Spanish (Iberian, Bilingual)
• French (France, Proficient)
• American Sign Language (Conversant)