ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a multidisciplinary artist who is fascinated by the role small parts play in complex systems. Whether it be an individual in relation to society or a muscle to the body, I like thinking about how things fit together. My studio practice is how I make sense of the world around me. It is where I explore how these small pieces together make a bigger whole. In the studio I process my ideas and emotions about class, economics, and inequity and I make art while exploring these topics.

My recent work investigates the precarity and emotional landscape of living with debt. The emotional uncertainty of living with debt is an experience shared by millions in the United States when paying for basic survival needs such as medical care, housing, and education. For those without access to personal or inherited wealth, debt becomes a critical part of making ends meet, a necessary measure in an ongoing financial juggling act.

I am drawn to process-based materials and ways of making. My most recent work uses ceramics and felt, while prior works include found materials collages, installation, printmaking, and performance. Although the outcome of each material is distinct, both clay and felt both require physical manipulation and necessitate working in stages. I squeeze, pull, twist, rub, poke, and agitate as I build. As I tug, warp, bend, and balance to manipulate forms, I am forced to slow down. This warp of time is a small act of rebellion because it is an antidote to capitalism’s drive for bigger, better, and more. The soft clay and loose fibers I started with, are transformed into hard ceramic and tight felt.