My scholarly work builds bridges. Brilliant scholars produce so much important and insightful work in the so-called ivory tower of academia but their work rarely finds its way to the public sphere. We need more bridges between the two so that the wider public can benefit. I endeavor to be that bridge. How? Lots of ways. But I have two main projects:

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• An annual public lecture series. Since 2015, I have presented an annual lecture series for the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Each series consists of four-five lectures organized around a theme. While the lectures synthesize the most current research on the specific topic, the presentations remain very accessible to a wide audience. 

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• A book on the Ghent Altarpiece. This book tells the rather dramatic history of this artwork from its inception to World War II, with a particular focus on how the altarpiece’s meaning and significance have shifted over time in relation to changes in its political, social, and artistic context. It moves swiftly as a narrative, transporting the reader to the various times and places in the historical life of this artwork, but it also slows down at certain points to delve deeper into specific contextual meanings. I want a broad readership to be engrossed by the story and fascinated by the scholarly research.