Artist Statement
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, twelve miles from the Appalachian Trail’s halfway marker. It’s a complicated region. From our front yard, I could see two mountains: one vibrant, rolling, and green; the other disappearing into a limestone quarry. Our backyard was a garden in flux—full of flowers, vegetables, weeds, worms, rot, and beauty. That complexity shaped how I see the world and is the foundation of my art.
Nature’s resilience is wondrous, but so is our capacity to manipulate it. Even as we try to bend it to our will, nature resists. Making art, for me, is like gardening—shaping natural chaos into gentle order. I use recycled materials like mining schematics, seed catalogs, field guides, and maps—layering them into my work like compost into soil. I draw plants, animals, fungus, and insects, then collage circles and imagery that illustrate how we try to control and understand nature through exploration, mapping, and classification.
The circles represent more than aesthetic form. They are ripples of influence, points on a map, layers of understanding, and lenses for close-looking. They mirror the complexity of relationships—between people, places, and ecosystems.
I began this body of work, Birthroot, in 2016. Each piece explores a relationship and its connection to the natural world. The title refers to Appalachian trillium, one of the first flowers to emerge as snow melts—understated and fleeting, but signaling renewal. These collages are built with that spirit in mind. After cold, there’s a time when nature rebalances.
Like gardens rising from compost or vines overtaking an abandoned building, these works reflect how new life and meaning grow out of transition, trial, and trauma. In a time of environmental and personal upheaval, Birthroot offers a quiet celebration of resilience, regeneration, and relationship.
Education
- M.A., Cultural Policy and Museum Education – The Ohio State University | 2009
- B.F.A., Studio Art – The Ohio State University | 2004
Exhibitions
- Assemblage, Hammond Harkins Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, 2026
- HHG Small Works, Hammond Harkins Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, 2025
- Summer Selections, Hammond Harkins Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, 2025
- 79th Ohio Annual Exhibition, Zanesville Museum of Art, Zanesville, Ohio, 2025
- 37th Annual Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College Art Gallery, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 2024
- 30th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Art Barn School of Art, Valparaiso, Indiana, 2024
- Hello Darkness 2024, Arts Illania, Terre Haute, Indiana, 2024
- Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, Cox Fine Arts Center, Columbus, Ohio, 2023
- Flower Power 2023 International Juried Exhibition, Camelback Gallery, 2023
- Crosscurrents 2023, Stifel Fine Arts Center, Wheeling, West Virginia, 2023
- The View, Rosewood Arts Center, Kettering, Ohio, 2023
- River, Ribbon of Life, TAG, The Artists Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 2023
- Flourish: d’Art’s Annual Floral and Botanical Exhibition, Norfolk, Virginia, 2023
- New Beginnings, Daylight Artist Collective Gallery, Westerville, Ohio, 2023
- Midwest Regional Exhibition, Art Link, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2023
- Spring to Life 2022, 311 Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2022
- Botanical Inspirations, Wickford Art Association, North Kingston, Rhode Island, 2022
- State of Affairs: CAW, Clayspace/831 Gallery, Columbus, Ohio, 2016
- Landmark: Creative Arts Women (CAW), Shot Tower, Columbus, Ohio, 2016
Awards
- Individual Artist Grant, Greater Columbus Arts Council, 2025
- Ringholz Art Supply Award, Ringholz Studios, 2024
- Elsie Alberty Scholarship, The Ohio State University, 2024-2025
- Merit Award, 30th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Art Barn School of Art, 2024
- Individual Artist Grant, Greater Columbus Arts Council, 2024
- Finalist, Flower Power 2023 International Juried Exhibition, Camelback Gallery | 2023
- 2nd Place, Flourish d’Art’s Annual Floral and Botanical Exhibition, Norfolk, Virginia, 2023
- Individual Artist Grant, Greater Columbus Arts Council, 2022
- 2nd Place, Botanical Inspirations, Wickford Art Association, North Kingston, Rhode Island, 2022
- Next Generation of Leaders Fellowship, 2014
Experience
- Co-Owner, Chief Executive/Financial Officer | Rebel Replay, LLC | June 2024-Present
- Artist | Hammond Harkins Gallery | May 2025-Present
- Assistant Director, IDEA Resource Management | Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) | Dec 2024–Present
- Grant Manager, IDEA Part B Discretionary Funds | DEW | Oct 2022–Dec 2024
- Executive Director | Art Possible Ohio | Aug 2019–Oct 2022
- Manager of Studio Initiatives | Columbus Museum of Art | May 2015–Jul 2019
- State Coordinator, Ohio History Day | Ohio History Connection | Aug 2014–Apr 2015
- Project Director & Grant Manager | Ohio History Connection | Jan 2013–Aug 2014