statement
I grew up in rural East Tennessee, and my creative practice originates in the storytelling and craft traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. My father is a journalist in Knokxville, Tennessee, and when the shift from print – digital media was in full swing during my college years I was inspired to use newspaper as one of my primary materials. Using paper and string, I manipulate the materials with my hands to create images, sculptures, and installations. This work expresses both natural and cultural processes of change and decay, with a goal of disarming the viewer to reveal multiple layers of meaning. In 2012 I entered into an occupational therapy master’s program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The time I spent with cadaver dissections and anatomy textbooks during my first year there inspired the series Anatomy From Netters. I also collaborate with Australian artist Rebecca Kinsey – we are PaperJAM. With PaperJAM in particular, I seek opportunities for directly engaging with a broad public by creating interactive, site specific installations in public spaces that deal with time, space, and laborious process. My studio is in Maspeth, Queens. Feel free to contact me for a visit!
.