Michaela Steen

Michaela Steen serves as a Lecturer in the History of Art & Visual Culture department within the College of Letters, Arts, & Sciences at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She holds dual responsibilities as both a faculty member teaching art history courses and as the Coordinator of the Visual Resource Center.

Her educational background includes an M.A. in History from UCCS (2010) and a B.A. in Film and Electronic Arts from California State University, Long Beach (2005). This interdisciplinary foundation informs her teaching approach that bridges historical scholarship with visual media analysis.

Steen specializes in courses spanning ancient to contemporary art history, with particular emphasis on digital humanities applications. Her research interests focus on visual culture studies, cultural heritage ethics, and the intersection of mythology with modern media. She has developed numerous specialized HUM 3990 topics courses exploring dystopian narratives, transhumanism, and cultural ownership of historical artifacts.

As Visual Resource Center Coordinator, she manages academic visual resources supporting the Visual & Performing Arts curriculum. Her teaching portfolio demonstrates consistent engagement with interdisciplinary themes connecting art history to contemporary cultural discourse through courses like 'Digital Humanity' and 'Walking as Knowing' which examine embodied cognition in urban environments.