Since 2014, I have designed and taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in the history of modern design and architecture at institutions including Parsons School of Design, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Most recently I led special collections classes within Avery Library’s Drawings & Archives department at Columbia University for the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning (GSAPP), Art History & Archaeology, and Barnard Architecture, among others, in addition to numerous external university programs. Some areas of focus and experience include:

Modern Design History, Material Culture, & Applied Arts
Industrial Design History
Modern Architecture in New York City
Modern and Postwar US Architecture & Design
Émigré Architects, Designers & Design Professionals in the US
Women in Modern Architecture & Design
Modern Interiors
Issues of Environment & Scale in Modern Architecture
Modern Building Technology
History of Glass
Material Culture of Waste in Design & Architecture
Research Methods and Researching Archives for Art, Architecture, & Design Histories
Architecture & Design of Frank Lloyd Wright

Past Courses

2020 – 2022
University of Applied Arts, Vienna
History and Theory of Design

Courses Designed:

Material Culture I, Matter Out of Place: Design & Discard Studies (Winter 2022)

Courses Designed and Taught:

Material Culture II, Waste & Materiality (Spring 2022)
Material Culture I, Topics in Design and Dwelling in 20th-century and Contemporary Europe and America (Fall 2021)
Material Culture II, Throwback: Revivalism and Material Culture in 20th-century Europe and America (Spring 2021)
Material Culture I, Design for All: Exploring Accessibility in 20th-century American and European Design (Fall 2020)

2014 – 2020
Parsons School of Design
School of Art and Design History and Theory, undergraduate level
Part-Time Faculty, Lecturer

History of Design, 1850-Present (Spring 2016) (lecture, 120 students, 5 teaching assistants)
Global Issues in Design and Visuality of the 21st Century
(Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Summer 2015, Fall 2015) (lecture, avg. 500 students, 17
teaching assistants)
Decadence and Decay: Visual Culture of the Weimar Republic, Art, Architecture, Design: 1918-1933 (Fall 2015) (seminar)
Postmodern Art, Architecture, and Design: 1970-1990 (Spring 2015) (seminar)
Throwback: Revival and Identity in 20th Century Architecture, Design, and Visual Culture (Fall 2014) (seminar)

Parsons School of Design
School of Constructed Environments, MFA Industrial Design program

Industrial Design History (Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017 – 2 sections; Fall 2018 – 2 sections; Fall 2019 – 2 sections) (seminar, avg. 25 students, 1 teaching assistant)

2016 – 2017
Rhode Island School of Design
Glass Department
Lecturer

History of Glass: 3500BCE-Present (Spring 2016, Spring 2017) (seminar)

Student Feedback

Recent Anonymous Student Evaluations

“Michelle is passionate about design and art history. That comes through very well. One of the most effective aspects of her course was the different field trip opportunities that Michelle orchestrated. In these trips we were able to look and touch objects we had discussed in class. Seeing them in real life made a huge impact on my connection to the class discussion.”

“Michelle was a gem to have as an instructor. The breadth of her knowledge and bubbling enthusiasm were so impressive that we frequently talked after class. I would love to have her teach another class.”

“Michelle is a wonderfully engaging lecturer. She made me enjoy a subject that I have dreaded in the past.”

“I found Michelle to be engaging and was able to make material that can be dense interesting to learn about. I really enjoyed the course and I think that had a lot to do with the way Michelle taught it.”

“Wonderfully effective and all writing feedback was thorough and helpful.”

“Incredibly attentive and receptive to student opinions. Incredibly helpful and open to students’ personal challenges outside of the classroom.”