ABOUT ME

In her role as Associate Director of the College Park Scholars Arts Program Heather Bremenstuhl is responsible for curriculum development and instruction across 10 program courses, building relationships with artists and arts organizations across the DMV, organizing experiential learning opportunities such as the 5-6 excursions Arts Scholars partake in each semester, and supervising a talented cadre of student leaders.  Whether advising students on the research process, working with guest artists, or developing a new course, she believes in the power of the arts to inform our identities and shape a more equitable society.

 

Before joining Scholars, Bremenstuhl’s work spanned the disciplinary boundaries of design and social science. Having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Lehigh University, she worked for roughly 10 years in architectural firms in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.  Her work has included urban planning, high-end interiors, mixed use development, and facilities planning at both Lehigh and Northwestern University.  Her design work also includes residential landscape design and landscape architecture, where she focused on large-scale international public parks—such as New Songdo City Central Park—that reflect the culture and history of the region while highlighting the dynamic and reciprocal influences between art, culture and society. 

​

Bremenstuhl’s graduate work includes a Certificate in Sociology from Northwestern University, and a Master of Arts in Sociology from The University of Arizona. She has held faculty and administrative roles at Allegany College of Maryland and George Washington University, and worked in research administration for ICF International where she managed a team of field interviewers for the HUDQC study, a $31 million evaluation study of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

​

As an educator, Bremenstuhl's courses have explored artistic taste as a form of status marking, the production and consumption of artistic and cultural goods, and the role of culture in identity and social boundary formation.  An enthusiastic participant in the Washington arts scene, Bremenstuhl is passionate about the arts as a mechanism for self-expression, community building, and social change.