My teaching is based in the belief that art, architecture, and design are shaped by human intent and history, which are integrally related to what has been created and is yet to be created.  I believe that a knowledge of art and design history is a key part to being an accomplished artist or designer, and that being able to think critically and clearly convey an understanding of such in written and oral terms is of utmost importance.

Chris received her doctorate from the University of Virginia where she also received a master’s degree in architectural history and historic preservation. She holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina.  Her dissertation, “Cosmopolitan Design in the Upper Midwest: The Nineteenth Century Architecture of E. Townsend Mix,” explores the importance of architectural style as an expression of the aesthetic, cultural, and social development of the Midwestern frontier.  Chris enjoys integrating her research into the classroom allowing students to understand how scholars and artists use their own experiences to enhance learning.

Her interests include nineteenth and twentieth century architecture, art, and material culture.  She has developed classes including Built America: Adaptation or Creativity, the Rise of Modernism: Architecture, the History of Space in Architecture, and American Architecture.  An upcoming anthology American Architects and their Books (2007) will include a chapter by Chris. She has presented scholarly work at national conferences and continues to do so.  Beyond her own art historical scholarship, she is interested in art history pedagogy and its continuing transformation to serve the students of the twenty-first century.  Chris also enjoys spending time restoring and furnishing her 1899 Queen Anne Revival house in Milwaukee’s Historic Kenwood Park neighborhood.

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