About

Mary is an arts and culture professional hailing from Mitchell, South Dakota (home of the world’s only Corn Palace!). She’s currently based in London, by way of Atlanta.

Mary holds BAs in Studio Art and Digital Media Design, the latter of which included an emphasis in marketing.

She has developed exhibition text, gallery guides, and marketing copy for Atlanta-based arts organizations, and she holds a strong foundation in museum programming, audience development, and cross-departmental collaboration through positions held at the High Museum of Art and Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). She has demonstrated success in increasing program revenue, meeting membership goals, expanding audience reach, and strengthening institutional engagement with community members.

Mary is now working on her MA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. In her free time, she’s probably focused on photography or painting in watercolors.

“Shall we get in touch?”

  • Courtauld Institute of Art | London, England | 2026–2027
    MA in History of Art

    Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell, South Dakota, USA | 2019–2023
    BAs in Studio Art and Digital Media Design (with an emphasis on Marketing)
    Graduated summa cum laude

  • “Though born and raised in small-town South Dakota, my love of cityscapes and the architectural details lending character to built environments serves as the foundation of my studio practice. Primarily painting in watercolors, my work often depict buildings, façades, and other manmade structures, which I render with harsh shadow and deep color achieved through extensive layering.”

  • High Museum of Art | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    • Coordinator, Lifelong Learning
      Aug. 2024 – Sept. 2026

    Museum of Design Atlanta | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    • Programs Manager
      June 2023 – August 2024

    • Communications Assistant
      May 2022 – June 2023   

    • Communications Intern
      February 2022 – May 2022

    + Elixir Roasterie | Mitchell, South Dakota, USA

    • (Really good) Barista
      August 2019 – May 2020

  • High Museum of Art | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Juneteenth Celebration 
    February 2025 – June 2025

    • Spearheaded special programming for June’s Access for All event, which coincided with Juneteenth.  Wrote and edited gallery guides for three age groups; sourced vendors and performers; worked with Guest Relations to ensure optimal visitor experience; managed a team of nearly 50 volunteers; and collaborated with teaching artists to design all-ages art-making activities.  Increased program attendance by 31% from 2024, with 8,278 attendees celebrating the Juneteenth holiday at the High Museum of Art in 2025.

    Studio Class Expansion
    September 2024 – September 2026

    • Collaborated with Marketing to effectively promote multiweek classes to target audiences. Positioned the museum as a trusted community resource for art-making instruction through campaigns that leveraged its permanent collection and special exhibitions.

      In FY25, increased attendance 144.8% and revenue 399.6% from the prior year. In FY26, attendance grew another 147.1%, with revenue rising 155% from FY25.

    Museum of Design Atlanta | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Jane’s Walk 2024
    February 2024 – May 2024

    • Organized Jane's Walk Atlanta 2024.  Developed and distributed a press release for Jane's Walk in addition to a communications strategy for walk leaders, effectively building organic awareness of MODA and Jane's Walk across multiple digital media platforms.  Increased the number of walks by 30.3% and registration by 90.8% from 2023.

    Research and Exhibition Writing
    January 2024 – April 2024

    • Wrote, edited, and proofread exhibition text for MODA's Spring 2024 exhibitions Please Be Seated: A Century of Chair Design and Al Dente: The Design of Pasta.  Conducted extensive research to ensure accuracy across all exhibition text and related documents.

  • Mary has. . .

    • Designed and maintained websites for nonprofit organizations

    • Taught photography workshops for those of all ages and levels of experience

    • Pioneered Photo Walks at the High Museum of Art

    • Written copy and created content for nonprofits’ social media profiles

    • Digitized exhibitions for Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) and developed its archive of previous shows

    • Photographed events in Midtown Atlanta, including MODA’s Sunday Funday program

    • Wrote, edited, and proofread exhibition text for "Please Be Seated: A Century of Chair Design" and "Al Dente: The Design of Pasta"

    • Assisted in the curation of “Level Up: Pixels, Play & Progress”

    • Managed Jane's Walk Atlanta 2024