About My Work/Practice:

I create sculptural forms and art objects using primarily repurposed fibers. I explore and push the limits of the medium, and I interrogate the historical and contemporary notions of what defines “fine art” vs. “craft” objects. I use processes often thought of as “women’s work” and materials associated with soft, feminine connotations in innovative and experimental ways.

While not explicitly representational, my work reflects my experiences in the body of a queer woman in contemporary culture and society. They are often abstract and intuitively constructed expressions of the varied and loaded concepts surrounding gender and femininity; the nature of living inside a human bodily form; and the links between one’s emotional, mental, and physical health. 

Using fibers and methods of making that are typically associated with ideas of “the feminine” and “the domestic,” I engage and challenge the viewer’s perceptions and preconceived notions. I create work that takes up physical space, claiming space for myself and for the traditions of fiber arts in venues like fine art galleries.

About Me:

I grew up in the northern New York college-town (technically a city), Plattsburgh, NY. As far back as I can remember, I was digging through the art cabinet in the kitchen and finding materials I could transform into art projects. I was never satisfied with drawing/painting and depicting an image on a 2-D surface. I wanted to make things.

In high school, I reconnected with my love of creating and decided to build a portfolio to apply to art school. After much deliberation I decided to enroll in the fine arts program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City.

The fine arts curriculum at FIT was very focused on life drawing and oil painting, and though I learned a lot about color theory and the worlds of 2-D design, it wasn’t until my first abstract sculpture class that I truly found my calling. I reconnected with crochet (a self-taught, childhood hobby of mine) and my passion for fibers and mixed media. My college experience culminated in my senior year as I worked on my thesis project, a massive fiber sculpture installation I called “Paralyzed in the Deep Dark.”

Since graduating college, I have been living and working back in my hometown of Plattsburgh, NY. I have been growing a substantial body of wall/ceiling-hanging and free-standing work in repurposed fibers and mixed media. While working in my “studio” (very small apartment), I like to listen to podcasts. I am a self-identified “big ‘ol nerd” who loves Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, anime, and basically anything/everything on Dropout.tv and the Maximum Fun Network. 

CV/Resume:

Education

  • BFA in Fine Arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology, May 2019

  • Presidential Scholar, graduated summa cum laude

  • Minored in Art History, English, and Dance

  • Recipient, 2016/17 Gladys Marcus Award for liberal arts

Residencies

  • Vermont Studio Center, Resident, Johnson, VT, Oct. 2023

  • Chautauqua Visual Arts Residency Program, alternate, Chautauqua, NY, Summer 2022

Grants

  • Folk and Traditional Arts Master/Apprenticeship Program, New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), with master weaver Suzy Hokanson, Plattsburgh, NY, March-Dec. 2024

Public Art Projects

  • Community Threads: Covering the Fence, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 2022-March 2023

Solo Exhibitions

  • Artist Showcase, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, November 2021

  • Between Layers and Stitches, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, October 2021

  • Artist Showcase, City Well, Plattsburgh, NY, August 2021

Duo Exhibitions

  • This Flesh We Inhabit, with Mollie Ward, The Upper Jay Art Center, Upper Jay, NY, April 2024

Group Exhibitions

  • Chapter One Coffee and Tea Artist Program, monthly group exhibitions, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, June-Dec. 2024

  • Darkness and Light, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, April 2024

  • From Fiber, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL, Sept. 2023

  • On the Brink, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Apr. 2023

  • Director’s Choice, Viridian Artists Gallery, New York, NY, Apr. 2023

  • Fibers of Nature, The Floyd Center for the Arts, Floyd, VA, Feb. 2023

  • Tenuous Threads, The Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY, Feb. 2023

  • Community Threads, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Feb.- March 2023

  • 32nd International Juried Exhibition, Viridian Artists Gallery, New York, NY, Jan. 2023

  • What If…?, Gallery 114, Portland, OR, Jan. 2023

  • Holiday Show, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 2022

  • Cat Art Show, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 4 2022

  • Chapter One Coffee and Tea Artist Program, monthly group exhibitions, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 2022 - May 2023

  • Abstract Expressions, Red Bluff Gallery, online, Sept. 2022

  • RED, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, online, July 2022

  • Fiberart International, Fiber Art International, Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, June-Aug. 2022

  • Chapter One Coffee and Tea Artist Program, monthly group exhibitions, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, April 2022 - Sept. 2022

  • All Abstract, 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC, March 2022

  • Community Gallery Show, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Feb. 2022

  • Cat Art Show, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 5, 2021

  • Holiday Show, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 2021

  • Bring Your Best Juried Show, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, Oct. 2021

  • Chapter One Coffee and Tea Artist Program, monthly group exhibitions, Chapter One Coffee and Tea, Plattsburgh, NY, Sept. 2021-Feb. 2022

  • Folk is Art, WomensWork.Art, Poughkeepsie, NY, July 2021

  • City Well Artist Program, monthly group exhibitions, City Well, Plattsburgh, NY, March-Aug. 2021

  • From Here On Out, New York, NY,  May 2019

  • V-day, New York, NY, Feb. 2019

  • CYCLES, Catalyst Gallery, Beacon, NY, Spring 2019

  • Member Show, The Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, July 2016

  • Fall 2016 Exhibition, Urban Studio Unbound, Yonkers, NY, Fall 2016

  • Spring 2016 Exhibition, Urban Studio Unbound, Yonkers, NY, Spring 2016

  • Winter 2015 Exhibition, Urban Studio Unbound, Yonkers, NY, Winter 2015

Publications

  • Short film by Lauren Zito (title TBD), Lauren Zito, Plattsburgh, NY, Summer 2023

  • A Soft Touch: Artist Downs Featured in Strand Show, the Press Republican, Plattsburgh, NY, Dec. 23, 2021

  • Breathing Life into Fabric, The Lake Champlain Weekly, Plattsburgh, NY, May 5, 2021