“I encourage students to move beyond their comfort zones toward confidence in their ability to solve problems creatively as they exercise imagination, curiosity, and commitment.”
What are your areas of research and teaching expertise?
As a studio artist and educator I primarily work with and teach both digital and analog photography and video. I also teach our Junior Seminar for art majors. During the pandemic, in order to circumnavigate art galleries and museums that had closed, I began making artist zines that can be distributed to individuals as a way to reach my audience during a time of isolation. I fell in love with the process and wanted to share it with students, so next year I will begin teaching a new challenge seminar that focuses on making zines about issues of sustainability.
As a practicing artist, I am interested in systems and their impact on identity, ideology and the environment. In considering Capitalism as a system, I’ve looked at the intersection of consumerism, globalization and the environment. More recently, I have been researching farms that develop unique ways to create sustainable futures as they grow clean food, engage with communities and support local economies.
What is your teaching style?
I teach project-based curriculum designed to scaffold technical skills as students work through a range of formal creative strategies while interpreting and responding to the world around them. My goal as an educator is to guide students in the development of their personal vision, to help them identify and hone a visual language that is both individual and in dialogue with contemporary aesthetics. I encourage students to move beyond their comfort zones toward confidence in their ability to solve problems creatively as they exercise imagination, curiosity, and commitment.
Describe your “lightbulb moment.”
My path to working as an artist was more of a series of decisions I made over the course of a decade than one lightbulb moment. My undergraduate institution only offered one class in photography so there wasn’t much opportunity to pursue it as a career during college. In that one class, I learned the fundamentals of technique and design, but it wasn’t until I took a liberal arts class in Interviewing that I discovered a passion for the photographic medium. As part of my final project, which was a writing assignment, I created a series of portraits of the people I interviewed to accompany the text. This was a turning point for me as I was completely enthralled by the interdisciplinary process.
What do you enjoy outside the classroom?
There is so much to explore in life–even sitting, clearing the mind and meditating is an interesting and fruitful process. My husband Chris and I are avid hikers and always look for new trails when traveling. At home, I love cooking, experimenting with ingredients and sharing food with friends and family.
What tips do you have for student success?
Because every student is different, each student’s path to success will be different. We all benefit from taking time to reflect so that our path may be clearer. I advise students to slow down and be selective about their commitments and where they direct their time and energy.
What is your favorite author/book?
When I find an author I like, I binge-read everything they’ve ever written. A few years ago, I discovered Octavia Butler and was mesmerized by her ability to create worlds as metaphor and sometimes as all-too-plausible realities. She investigates human nature unflinchingly with a remarkable depth of understanding. My favorite Butler books are the Parable series and the Lilith’s Brood trilogy. But they’re all great!