Originally a political economist, she is the author of The Paradox of Continental Production (Cornell University Press, 1992) and taught in the Political Science Department at Carleton University for many years. After a leave of absence to serve as the director of an art gallery and artist-run centre, she joined the Visual Culture stream of the Department of Communication Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. In addition to being Chair of the Department, she teaches Introduction to Visual Culture and Political Economy of Art and Architecture. Her current research focus is on design history and theory, as well as urban development schemes such as the Creative City. Her ideas on Toronto’s Creative City initiatives have been discussed in the Globe and Mail, The Wall Street Journal, and Le Devoir.