As founding director of the Ohio Valley Center for Collaborative Arts, Sam is committed to the study and practice of community development through socially engaged art and creative placemaking. Sam teaches courses in the history of modern and contemporary architecture and design. He is also an advocate for OHIO’s First Generation Scholars and serves on committees for the Athens County Foundation and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society. 

Sam received his PhD in architectural history and theory from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also worked at the Center for Sustainable Development. His research has been published in Art Journal, Design Issues, the Journal of Architectural Education, and the Journal of Design History.

Classes Being Taught:

• Modern Architecture and Design
• Art Spaces: Exhibition, Experience, Environment
• Contemporary Art Theory & Criticism
• Art History Methods
• Global Art History: Renaissance to the Present
• 30 Mile Studio