Bryan C. Keene, Ph.D., Receives CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching Medieval Studies

Keene’s recognition is historic: they are the first CARA Award recipient from California and the first from a community college, highlighting both the exceptional quality of their teaching and the transformative work happening outside traditional four-year universities. Historically, the CARA Award has primarily been conferred to faculty at research universities, making this acknowledgment particularly meaningful for the community college and West Coast academic landscape.

Since joining RCC in 2020, Keene has dramatically expanded the college’s offerings in art history while creating deeply engaging and inclusive learning experiences. They have developed courses such as Gender and Sexuality in Art and Chicanx Art History, co-authored or revised courses including Introduction to Exhibitions, RCC’s first museum studies course, and serve as dramaturg for theatre productions. They are also an active mentor, advocate and ally for LGBTQIA+ and Latine/x students and communities.

Keene’s teaching philosophy emphasizes creativity, equity and accessibility. They integrate global art history and anti-racist pedagogy into every course, connecting historical material to students’ lived experiences, media, fandoms and online communities, and expanding that knowledge into critical analysis and public engagement. At RCC, students “read” their own campus as a historical archive, examine regional collections, and visit museums and archives through partnerships Keene has cultivated. These experiences allow students to study original objects, expanding understanding beyond traditional Eurocentric frameworks.

Collaboration is central to Keene’s pedagogy. They regularly co-create with colleagues across disciplines, including theatre, animation, anthropology and modern languages, and have established binational partnerships with faculty in Iraq, Jordan and Mexico, connecting students to global medieval worlds through shared lectures, assignments and projects. Keene’s dedication to public and K–12 education is extensive. They have hosted curriculum and pedagogy discussions with local educators and have offered dedicated sessions on gender, race, trade and global studies. They also maintain a strong digital presence through Instagram accounts, including @_medievalart (more than 300,000 followers), @queermedievalisms and @Balthazar_theblackmagus, sharing global medieval art with a wide public audience.

Since joining RCC, Keene has been extraordinarily productive in scholarship and curation, producing more than 40 publications spanning books, edited volumes, peer-reviewed articles, essays, exhibition catalogues and professional newsletters. Their students are also actively contributing to publications and exhibitions, as well as transferring to four-year institutions — some are now pursuing graduate degrees. Their curated exhibitions, totaling more than 15, have won multiple awards, including the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Award for Excellence for Outcasts: Prejudice and Persecution in the Medieval World, and the Global Fine Art Award for exhibition of the year and You-2 Social Media Award for Traversing the Globe through Illuminated Manuscripts. Previously, as associate curator at the Getty, their curatorial work consistently centered inclusivity, global perspectives and engagement with communities historically excluded from the study and presentation of medieval art.

Keene’s scholarship, teaching and public outreach reflect a commitment to making medieval studies accessible, inclusive and deeply engaging. Their innovative pedagogy cultivates critical thinking, global awareness and creative engagement with history, empowering students to see connections between medieval worlds and contemporary institutions, identities and digital spaces. The CARA Award recognizes not only Keene’s teaching excellence but also their historic role in expanding medieval studies, art history and theatre arts at the community college level and on the West Coast, setting a new benchmark for inclusive, equity-driven pedagogy.