Artist Statement
It’s a curious thing to write about one’s art because it feels strange to me to put words to something that I feel I can only express visually. I make art because for as long as I can remember I’ve made art. I was taught to be creative by women who may not describe themselves as such, but nevertheless, embody the ethos of an artist. They taught me to see beyond the obvious as they took old fabric scraps and empty soda bottles and transformed trash into treasures. They taught me to use my imagination and gave me tools, perhaps unintentionally, that I’ve used throughout my life to make things beautiful while making beautiful things.
I move between collage, painting, drawing, fiber, audio, storytelling, etc. because practically and intellectually, I find working with one medium confining. Why should I restrict my creativity to one thing? It makes no sense to me. My tools are simple, often bought at a discount or found and repurposed to suit my needs. I collect bits and pieces of paper for my collages as if I’m curating a collection of high-end vintage glassware.
I paint mountains, write about prisons, embroider, and experiment with different media because I can move fluidly between these things, and I see them as connected. I make art because art allows us to collectively imagine new possibilities, and that seems like an incredibly worthwhile way to spend one’s life.
Artist Bio
I am an artist, educator, organizer, and writer. These roles often overlap, collide, and inform each other and my art. As an interdisciplinary artist, I integrate knowledge from different fields of study to make visual art and produce audio.
In 2017, Brian Nam-Sonenstein and I co-founded, Beyond Prisons, a podcast on incarceration and prison abolition. Brian and I also co-host and produce the show. Beyond Prisons is a media project, social practice art, and political education tool. I teach workshops on how to use storytelling, research, data, and community voices in the fight for collective liberation.
Planting Seeds Arts is my latest project launched in 2024, dedicated to using arts-based practices and theater techniques to encourage play, exploration, and creative expression for the purpose of transforming our communities.
A social scientist by training, I love to teach, research, write, and to work collaboratively. My pedagogical approach is rooted in liberatory traditions, and I integrate the arts into everything I do because it provides openings to ways of thinking and being that allow us to shift narratives and imagine new possibilities.
In 2022, I had spine surgery to address a decade-long problem. I am now fully recovered and grateful to be pain free. I live in California with my adult daughter, and her two cats. Heartbreakingly, both of my sons are currently sentenced to life in prison.
In my spare time, I love to read, and to listen to audiobooks. I’m a huge fan of 90s and early 2000s hip-hop and R&B. Most days you can find me meditating, going for long walks, and singing (badly) in the car.
Longer bio here.