I am an interdisciplinary artist and a professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Design at The University of Notre Dame. Using video, animation, photography, sculpture, fibers, installation and sound, I capture experiences of emotional vulnerability, unrehearsed performances, gender construction, systems of belief, and women's labor and leadership. My most recent work examines and visualizes gender-specific boundaries and emergence through a range of perspectives and material methods. I highlight how specific stereotypes and historically assigned roles continue to hinder and undermine the progress of those identifying as female. In particular, I have taken a close look at what happens during the years when professional development intersects with domestic and family responsibilities. I also point to the unique challenges women face when striving towards or achieving positions of power in the professional or political sector. When we emerge and succeed, it is through a specifically hard fought and focused effort. This work celebrates women’s achievements, acknowledges the hours and sacrifices, uses humor as a coping mechanism, and darkness/shadows as a nod to the empathy and interconnectedness of our lived experiences. As an interdisciplinary artist, my media shifts to align with the conceptual basis of any given work. I work seamlessly between the digital and the analog and choose the material and method that makes me feel most connected to the idea.

After graduating from Meredith College with dual degrees in studio art and art education, I worked as a high school art educator in North Carolina public schools for several years, leaving to pursue my MFA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I primarily teach foundational courses at Notre Dame, as it allows me to work with and mentor students at the beginning of their careers and to teach a wide range of mediums, compositional strategies and conceptual approaches. My work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States, including the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC, the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, IN, Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin, TX, and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL. A focus on art as a powerful tool for visual communication and social change is a common thread between my studio practice and my teaching.