“I’ve loved making art my entire life. As a budding photographer, the tool I had at hand was a disposable camera and I waited with breathless anticipation for the prints to show up in the mail. I also remember a tray of pastels, a box of crayons, and an afternoon spent exploring with deep fascination how they worked together. Years later, I earned a BA in Studio Art from Carleton College, and while I continue to explore different means of making art, photography and mixed media still form the throughlines of my arts practice.

My experiences of growing up rural, working class and queer also created a deep desire to shift the paradigms that control production of, access to, and connection with art. I have spent years teaching in communal spaces and curating exhibitions in often nontraditional environments. I originated and for many years led The Art of Healing, a multidisciplinary arts program centered in an inner-city hospital in Minnesota. I currently run the exhibition program for a community-based center in Oregon, where artists from the community choose the shows and shape the programming each year.

I can't not make art, and working in community is fundamental to who I am. I know, deep down, that art is essential to our collective thriving. It’s how we’re going to find our way.”