Title: Independent Curator and Art History Faculty Member
Company: California State University, San Marcos
Location: Temecula, California, United States
Tatiana D. Sizonenko, PhD, Independent Curator and Art History Faculty Member at California State University San Marcos, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in Art History.
Dr. Sizonenko has established herself as an independent curator and art history faculty member, currently contributing her expertise to California State University (CSU), San Marcos. In this capacity since 2014, she has been responsible for researching and planning scholarly books, organizing installations and public programming in collaboration with staff and artists across museum venues, conducting panel discussions and presentations, and curating exhibitions of Medieval and Renaissance art. Dr. Sizonenko’s teaching portfolio includes beginner and advanced art history courses, a specialized class on women’s contributions to art that explores their roles as artists, patrons, and historical figures, as well as museum practice and curatorial studies. She also introduces design students to the historical roots of sustainability in art, tracing these concepts back to ancient Rome.
In addition to her role at CSU, San Marcos, Dr. Sizonenko has served as a faculty member in interior design at the Design Institute of San Diego since 2016, where she teaches in both the Master of Interior Design and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs. Dr. Sizonenko’s role involves guiding students through the intersections of design history, theory and practice.
Leveraging her classroom expertise, Dr. Sizonenko held roles as a lecturer at the University of San Diego, the University of California (UC) San Diego, and San Diego State University, and was a course instructor at Grossmont College and a visiting professor at Fu Jen Catholic University between 2013 and 2023.
As a faculty member of UC San Diego, Dr. Sizonenko taught a range of art history courses that reflected her broad expertise in various art forms. Her curatorial leadership extended to the Mandeville Art Gallery on campus from 2016 to 2018. There, Dr. Sizonenko developed innovative exhibitions that bridged historical context with contemporary artistic practices.
In the field, Dr. Sizonenko most recently served as a project curator for the La Jolla Historical Society from 2020 to 2025. During this period, she curated significant exhibitions, including the Neri Large project featuring Helena Newton Harrison, a globally recognized pioneer in ecological art and professor at both UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. The exhibition was fully funded by the Gaiety Foundation and Pacific Standard Time, spanning four venues and accompanied by a comprehensive catalog to which Dr. Sizonenko contributed. She considers this project a major professional achievement for its focus on environmental themes and its impact on public discourse.
As a guest curator for the La Jolla Historical Society from 2015 to 2017, Dr. Sizonenko continued to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between artists, scholars and community members. Earlier in her career, she was a curatorial research fellow at Timken Museum of Art between 2012 and 2013, a curatorial fellow at UC San Diego from 2011 to 2012, and a curator of collections and special exhibitions at the Museum of Making Music between 2005 and 2012, where she developed interactive exhibitions with notable figures such as Laurie Anderson and Keith Emerson.
Notably, in 2000, Dr. Sizonenko founded the Janus Russian American Center for the Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, which she oversaw for a year after serving as an assistant curator at the State Russian Museum from 1995 to 2000. She also managed a gallery space in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, which was recognized by the Boston Globe for its vibrant programming.
Dr. Sizonenko’s early fascination with art led her to visit museums across cities during her university years, where she built relationships with creative individuals. After immigrating to the U.S., she leveraged these connections by organizing exhibitions while continuing her scholarly pursuits. Teaching students and guiding visitors through transformative art experiences became a natural extension of Dr. Sizonenko’s passion for fostering deeper cultural understanding.
Highly educated, Dr. Sizonenko earned a diploma equivalent to a master’s degree from Saint Petersburg State University in Russia in 1995, followed by a Master of Arts in museum studies/museum administration from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California, in 2003, and a Doctor of Philosophy in art history and visual arts from UC San Diego in 2013. During her studies, she served as a graduate fellow for the Battle of Anghiari Project at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology from 2009 to 2011. In addition to her primary education, Dr. Sizonenko holds credentials as an online (distance education) teacher and certified scuba diver.
Active professionally, Dr. Sizonenko holds membership in the College Art Association, Renaissance America, the Renaissance Society of America, the International Committee for Museums and the American Association of Museums. Her civic engagement includes serving as a board member for community outreach exhibitions with Vanguard Culture since 2014, a San Diego-based organization dedicated to supporting emerging visual and performing artists through festivals, exhibitions and panel discussions. Dr. Sizonenko has also contributed her expertise through cataloging and archiving at the San Diego Historical Society, curatorial research on European collections at the San Diego Museum of Art, and research on Byzantine and Medieval Russian art collections at the Fogg Art Museum within Harvard University Museums.
Dr. Sizonenko credits her success to her ability to connect artists, institutions and organizations under a shared vision. She emphasizes that respectful collaboration is essential for successful projects, drawing on experiences in which she brought together violin makers, collectors and performers for unique events.
Looking ahead, Dr. Sizonenko intends to publish a scholarly book chronicling an architect’s journey as an immigrant during wartime, highlighting how art can unite individuals amid adversity, and plans collaborative projects addressing environmental issues through art-science partnerships. Her ongoing mission is to celebrate the visual arts while supporting artists who use their voices to advocate for the environment and social unity.
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