Dr. Avery's history interests include American popular culture and community-based arts from the 1850s-1900s, as well as county and state fair history, and agricultural heritage issues broadly of this period.

Dr. Avery's work spans investigating timber framing and traditional agricultural building techniques, domestic vernacular arts, early community cultural life, agricultural fair history, and the history of The Fair Publishing House -- an Ohio company founded in 1880. Avery's work continues with a focus on agricultural fairs, and popular culture; historic patterns and relationships to contemporary work and times.

Dr. Avery's primary museum assignment is outreach and service. She is actively engaged in contemporary community arts practice and development work focused in Michigan and the greater mid-west, especially in rural, small and remote communities. She is a board member with the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, VSA Arts of Michigan, and chairs the endowment committee of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network.

• "Agricultural Fairs in America: Tradition, Education, Celebration," editor, 2000
  http://museum.msu.edu/agfairsbk
• "Rooted In Place: Cultivating Community Culture," editor, 2002
  http://museum.msu.edu/ruralarts/rootedinplace
• "CraftWORKS! Michigan: A Report on Traditional Crafts and Economic Development in Michigan," co-editor, 2006 http://www.craftworksmichigan.org
• "Food Farming and Community: Resources for expanding awareness around sustainable agriculture" 2007.
  http://foodfarmingandcommunity.org/

• "Preserving Michigan's Barns," a companion exhibit to the Smithsonian's BARN AGAIN! exhibit Michigan tour, 2004
• "Uneasy Years: Michigan Jewry During Depression & War," MSU Museum, November 2002-June 2003
• "It's FairTime!" - 3 museum exhibits exploring agricultural fairs in America: "Today's Fairs," "Fairs of Yesteryear" and "Floral Hall," MSU Museum, October 2000-June 2001
• "America's Fair History" - traveling exhibitions series, 1996 - present
  • "America's Fairs Educating Communities"
  • "Livestock Heritage Serving a Nation"
  • "Racing and Fair Time Entertainment"
    http://museum.msu.edu/museum/tes/index.htm

• 2004: Michigan Humanities Council recognized the "Uneasy Years" exhibition and companion programs as 1 of 30 significant projects in MHC history, with Dr. Avery as project director.
• 2002: American Association for State and Local History granted the FairTime Project an Award of Merit, with Dr. Avery as project director and curator.