Inspiring Women Magazine November 2023

Frances as a child at
a buzkashī game in
the Bamiyan Valley,
Afghanistan (above)
Buzkashī is an
equestrian game
played predominantly
in northern
Afghanistan, where
riders compete to
seize and retain
control of a goat/calf
carcass. (left)
side of a cliff in the Bamiyan Valley of central
Afghanistan. I remember holding the hands
of my mom and older sister and gazing out
at the Bamiyan Valley in complete wonder
and awe. The world was a magical place,
and I couldn't wait to see and learn more!
When my family returned to Philadelphia my
mother continued to nurture my interests in
art and history, which led to a BA in Cultural
Anthropology. I worked two years on an
NGO project in Kenya revegetating semi-arid
lands in the Lake Baringo and spent several
summers on archaeological sites in southern
Peru and museum conservation projects at
the Museo Regional de Ica. My MA and PhD
dissertations were based on my research
of Nasca (100 BCE-600 CE) ceramics and
textiles from the south coast of Peru. I will
always cherish my time spent in Peru doing
work I loved with incredible Peruvian friends
and colleagues.
Frances with two Peruvian hairless dogs. These dogs
are a cultural heritage and fixture at many of Peru's
coastal archaeological sites and museums.
I
passionately believe art can be a
powerful medium to understand one
another and ourselves better. Exploring
art worldwide and throughout human
history allows us to appreciate different
cultural contributions. Behind every art object
or archaeological artifact, there are so many
stories – human stories - of great value to
future generations. Furthermore, engaging in
cross-cultural dialogue and reflecting on
history can be a powerful way to build respect
for all the differences and commonalities that
simultaneously bind humanity.
My early experiences in Afghanistan shaped
my worldview and career path to better
understand other cultures, past and present.
In 1977, when I was six years old, my family
moved to Kabul, Afghanistan, where my dad
volunteered as a doctor for CARE. My mom
took us to the National Museum of Afghanistan
and told stories about Alexander the Great,
Persian history, and the Buddha. She brought
history alive for us and made it exciting! One
of the most memorable experiences was a trip
to the Bamiyan Valley in central Afghanistan.
We climbed through caves to reach the top of
a sixth-century Buddha statue carved into the
One of the two 6th-century monumental Buddha statues
carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley of
central Afghanistan
In 2006, I moved to Berlin to marry
my German husband Tilman and fell in
love with Berlin's incredible museums
and vibrant art scene. After working at
museums and giving adult tours, I
focused on art education for children.
I create and teach multicultural art
classes to connect kids to different art
forms, styles, and traditions and design
archaeology programs for students
(ages 8-11) using art projects and
hands-on STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) challenges
to learn about Ancient Egypt,
Mesopotamia, China, the Romans
and the Maya. It has been such an
enriching experience taking these
classes to elementary schools and
after-school programs. I genuinely
enjoy listening and learning from all
my students' comments, questions,
and insights.
Classroom visit to teach primary school
students about archaeology and our knowledge
of the ancient past (top left)
Ancient Egypt students made bookmarks on
papyrus with their names written in hieroglyphics
and decorated a mummy pencil case. (bottom left)
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