My first book, The Word in the Wilderness: Popular Piety and the Manuscript Arts in Early Pennsylvania, explores the spiritual uses of calligraphy and manuscript illumination among German-speaking mystics, Pietists, Anabaptists, and other Protestants in early Pennsylvania.
My new book project, Ships of Reason: The Transatlantic Enlightenment of Stephen Girard, Mariner, Merchant, Banker, & Philanthropist of the Early American Republic, examines the broad impact of the French Enlightenment by tracing the surviving libraries of French-speaking Enlightenment thinkers in the young United States. My passion is using rare books, manuscripts, artworks, and other artifacts to catalyze transformative learning experiences while building financially sustainable futures for cultural nonprofits. My professional expertise is helping cultural nonprofits optimize their business models, enhancing ROI and increasing earned revenue potentials through data-informed strategic leadership, while demonstrating civic impact through evaluation. |
Background image: James Gibbs, Bibliotheca Radcliviana, Or, A Short Description of the Radcliffe Library at Oxford (London: Printed for the author, 1747). Courtesy of the Winterthur Library.