I have attended many ACSAA symposia, beginning when I was a graduate student, and have always relished the research and support of ACSAA members. It is invaluable to have an organization where we can come together in our passion for all things South and Southeast Asia. We all know that ACSAA is vital organization for students, researchers, professors, and curators. I believe the connections we make with each other through our common interests are central to our continued success within larger institutions. As secretary I look forward to learning more about the members of ACSAA and helping to maintain the membership and success of this organization.
I am currently Curator at the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, CA where I most recently curated the special exhibition We Are Here: Contemporary Art and Asian Voices in Los Angeles. Because my curatorial work is not focused on the arts of South and Southeast Asia, my goals are to challenge visitors to expand their understanding of Asian art and culture beyond the obvious regions and look for connections and meanings across cultures. I received her PhD from UCLA in 2008 in Southeast Asian art history. My background is in textiles so I have specific affection for that subject, however my research and publications focus on Buddhist art and practice in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. I published articles examining the art of Buddhist funerals in Northern Thailand in Ars Orientalis and the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. My research interest in Buddhist banners is ongoing, starting with my dissertation and continuing with an article on Khmer banners published in the Textile Museum Journal in 2019. As a Mellon postdoctoral fellow at the Walters Art Museum, I had the rare opportunity to absorb myself in their collection of over 120 Thai and Khmer Buddhist paintings on cloth.