Rakan DiarBakerli

Rakan DiarBakerli (he/him) serves as the K–12 and Family Programs Educator at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, NC. He brings a global perspective shaped by his formative years in Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Kenya, and Jordan, and holds a Bachelor’s in Zoology and a Master’s in Art and Design, both from NC State University. Before joining the museum world, Rakan spent a decade as a science educator across public, private, and charter schools in North Carolina’s Triangle region, an experience that now grounds his approach to cultural engagement and storytelling. As both educator and artist, he specialises in environmental storytelling that captures moments of intrigue and wonder.

Rakan DiarBakerli will be speaking at the Creative Museums Summit 2026 :

The Museum as Classroom: Rethinking What Professional Development Owes Teachers

A single workshop rarely survives Monday morning. At the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, we built a three-day teacher summer institute that does. Using our 2026 cohort on object-based learning as a case study, this talk shares how we turned museum access, curatorial practice, and hands-on lesson design into professional development that teachers actually carry back to their classrooms. We’ll share what worked, what teachers told us still needs work, and a framework you can borrow, whether you work in a museum, a school, or somewhere in between.