From Curator of Culture to Curator of connection: My Journey

For more than twenty years, I worked as a museum curator of education in historic houses and museums across the DC and Baltimore region. My role was never just about objects—it was about people. I designed experiences that helped visitors of all ages connect meaningfully with art, history, and each other.

Over the years, that work took many forms: interactive gallery tours, art camps for children, teacher trainings, public programs, gallery talks, scholarly symposia, and even weekend bus tours to museums in other cities. Whether I was leading a small group through a historic home or planning a large-scale program for educators, my focus was always the same—how to create access, spark curiosity, and invite conversation.

With a master’s degree in material culture from the Winterthur Museum, I was trained to read objects closely. Furniture, clothing, photographs, and everyday things all held stories waiting to be uncovered. I often joked (lovingly) about curating “cultural clutter,” but the truth is that those objects were never clutter at all. They were entry points—ways to help people see themselves reflected in history.

And then life reframed the work.

When my parents began downsizing—more than once, before they both passed away—I found myself using those same curatorial skills in a deeply personal context. I wasn’t developing exhibitions anymore; I was sorting through a lifetime of memories. Travel souvenirs, family photographs, beloved objects, and yes, my mother’s legendary collection of shoes. Each item carried a story, a laugh, a moment in time. Those shoes, I like to imagine, are still dancing—heading to the beauty parlor or strolling along the Seine on a moonlit evening.

That experience reshaped my understanding of curation. It was no longer about interpretation for the public—it was about care, discernment, and honoring what matters most. Letting go wasn’t about loss; it was about making room for what comes next.

That philosophy first took shape in my work co-founding Room 2 Bloom DC, where I helped clients navigate downsizing, transitions, and the emotional weight of belongings. Today, it lives on through P.S. Nest, and through one of its most personal offerings: Cultural Companion.

Cultural Companion draws directly from my museum career—those years of designing thoughtful, inclusive, human-centered experiences. I now use those finely honed skills to create intimate, gently paced museum visits for individuals and small groups in Washington, DC. These are not traditional tours. They are conversational, relational experiences designed to help people feel comfortable, curious, and connected—to the art, to the city, and to each other.

In many ways, I’ve moved from being a curator of culture to a curator of connection.

The museum world taught me how to design experiences that linger. Life taught me that meaning deepens when we slow down and share it with others. Through P.S. Nest and Cultural Companion, I continue to curate—but now the focus is not on exhibitions or collections. It’s on people, presence, and the joy of engaging with culture in ways that feel personal, accessible, and alive.

Curious about experiencing museums in a more personal, unhurried way?

Explore Cultural Companion experiences with P.S. Nest and discover how art, history, and conversation can unfold beautifully—one thoughtful moment at a time.