Industry
Museums / Arts Education
Deliverables
Public Engagement
Research
Art Interpretation
Year
2015 – 2020
Location
San Francisco, CA
Read case study below
SFMOMA — Guiding Curiosity, One Conversation at a Time
As a passionate civic leader and lifelong arts advocate, I volunteered for five years as a museum guide at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, sharing stories, questions, and discoveries with visitors from around the world.
Each tour was a collaboration including a dialogue rather than a lecture built through an inquiry-based approach that encouraged curiosity and reflection. My research spanned American painting, land art, photography, color theory, architecture, and design, grounding each experience in both art history and lived experience.
What He Did
Led twice-monthly public tours across rotating exhibitions and the permanent collection
Crafted tours through research and thematic development, often reframing each route based on guest feedback
Fostered dialogue-driven learning, helping visitors connect art to personal and civic contexts
Deepened expertise in modern and contemporary art, from Jackson Pollock to Olafur Eliasson
Outcome
Helped expand SFMOMA’s culture of participatory engagement, creating experiences rooted in discovery
Honored the museum’s educational lineage through Grace McCann Morley’s legacy, the pioneering founding director who established SFMOMA’s first guide program west of the Mississippi.
Witnessed public art interpretation come alive—from visitors comparing the Snøhetta addition to fog, cruise ships, or waves—to the simple joy of seeing someone “get it” for the first time
