Professor Ann Komara holds a BA in Classical Studies (Penn State) and Masters in Landscape Architecture and Architectural History (University of Virginia). She chaired the CU Denver Department of Landscape Architecture (2009-19) and the Master of urban Design Program (2012-17). Her teaching and research focus on landscape architecture history and theory and design. Her research on urban landscapes of Second Empire Paris has been supported by the Graham Foundation, Camargo Foundation and Dumbarton Oaks (2004 Summer Fellow, 2019-20 Fellow in Garden & Landscape Studies).
She was a Fulbright Teaching and Research Fellow in Finland in 2008, and has led numerous study abroad programs to Finland and France. Her publications include the award winning Lawrence Halprin’s Skyline Park (2012), and Civilian Conservation Corps ANF-1, which won a national HALS Documentation Award. Both projects reflect the high caliber of her collaborative work with CAP students in landscape studies and documentation. In fall 2020 Professor Komara, an award winning educator, led the MLA Immersive Semester with a focus on “water in the West” during which students explored the many issues surrounding water in Colorado’s semi-arid climate. They studied the causes and effects of systemic inequity in the distribution and use of water, and developed design approaches to projects that were grounded in understanding cultural and historic patterns and practices. This work is being furthered through additional courses, an upcoming SAH session (2022) and an edited book of solicited essays from scholars around the globe.