I am a Milwaukee-based, visual artist working across textiles, sculpture and performance-based video. I received my BFA at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008 followed by ten years of teaching high school art classes in Chicago Public Schools. During this time, I participated in various teacher programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and presented my curriculum at the National Art Education Association Conference in 2016. In 2020 I received my MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a focus in textiles and sculpture. In 2020, I was a recipient of VCU’s Graduate Thesis Grant and presented my work and research at the Institute for Contemporary Art Richmond. My work has been exhibited in Illinois, Virginia, California and New York. Currently working as Youth + Community Outreach Coordinator at MIAD, I am committed to the accessibility of visual arts programming for youth in Milwaukee.
Mediums: Quilting, sculpture, performance/video
Favorite Artist Tool: Rotary cutter
Go-to Local Inspiration: Residential architecture
Mentor Compliment: Generous
Fun Fact: Favorite condiments = sriracha, giardiniera, whipped cream.
Serious Fact: I was born at 2 a.m. under a waning moon in November.
Artist Statement
Mining domestic landscapes for materials – pillows, chairs, worn fabrics, plates, sports jerseys, holiday flags, quilts – I deconstruct recognizable items and transform them in unfamiliar ways, often pushing the boundaries of quilting traditions through subtle interventions.
Having grown up in a conservative Midwest suburb, I am interested in the perceived homogeneity of spaces and people. What does it mean to poke holes in the illusion of sameness? How can we disrupt the way things have always been and insert more nuanced narratives?
I often use repetition in my work, whether physical gestures or visual patterns. The repetition provides a ground from which to depart, reflecting ways we operate within and deviate against institutional expectations that are placed on our bodies and behaviors. In the studio, I probe and process conflicting ideas – discomfort, joy, conformity, aspirations, and failure – and encourage viewers to question power structures and cyclical ways we perform within everyday systems.