Working in education and community engagement, John explores the representational practices through which individuals and the public gain a meaningful voice and shape their cultural landscape. 

Emerging from a background in the arts and humanities, John has woven these creative interests together with his passions for urban studies, land use planning, and political science. His research examines such themes as inclusion in placemaking strategies, the funding and reception of public art, and the fostering of a dynamic public realm. His earlier research explored how the American painter Stuart Davis sought to reconstruct democratic life by aligning his work as a modern artist with his role as a political activist and labor organizer.

John currently teaches social science at Plymouth State University and serves as PI for a National Park Service project aimed at producing an Ethnographic Overview and Assessment of Lowell, MA for the National Park Service.

In his local community, John serves on the Plymouth Planning Board, Plymouth Housing Committee, and on the Board of Directors for the Plymouth Historical Society and has collaborated in various capacities with other local organizations.

Education: 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PhD; 

CUNY Queens College, BA