I think about things. When I can’t stop thinking about them, sometimes I research them.
Sometimes I make art about them.
Sometimes I do both.
My artwork has been shown at the New Britain Museum of American Art, the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History (a Smithsonian affiliate), the Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition, the Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, California, the Wesleyan Potters Annual Show and Sale, MAC650 Gallery, and several times at Middletown Framing in conjunction with the North End Gallery Walk.
Some examples of what I do:
Environmental Themes (pesticides and climate change)
Extinction
Arthropods
Clockwork Invertebrates
Sewn Plastic
School of Fish 51 x 61 inches
Octopus 96 x 59 inches
Whale 75 x 61 inches
Shrimp 27.5 x 20.5 inches
Oyster 27.5 x 20.5 inches
Comics on politics
I also like playing around with comics of political concepts and founding documents (think the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution). I do some of this myself and also ask my students to do this in our politics classes.
I also use art to engage with my community.
Photo of a workshop: Printmaking in environmental and policy courses, Re-envisioning the Laboratory: Sci-Art Symposium, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, September 2016 (Photo by the talented Rebekah S. Smith)
I host Craftivism workshops (think crafts+activism) with public and non profit organizations and groups of all ages. I love to create public works of art and have had to opportunity on occasion to support causes I believe in by creating pieces that help them fundraise or spread their message. Read further to learn more about each of these ways I engage with my community!
CRAFTIVISM WORKSHOPS
June 2016. Craftivists Unite for teens at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
December 2014 at the Green Street Arts Center, in collaboration with the North End Action Team in Middletown, Connecticut.
November 2014 at the Green Street Arts Center, in collaboration with the North End Action Team in Middletown, Connecticut.
Fall 2014. Craftivism on Main Street public art event in collaboration with the North End Action Team, Middletown, Connecticut.
PUBLIC ART
Summer 2014. Outside the Box, Franklin Avenue and Brown Street, Hartford, Connecticut. I was one of 16 artists chosen by The City of Hartford, Marketing, Events, & Cultural Affairs Office (MECA) and Livable Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative (LSNI) Divisions to create murals on City of Hartford utility boxes. More information can be found here.
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
Summer 2013. No Strip Mall, No Wrecking Ball, Middletown, Connecticut. This print was a response to a local action to stop the destruction of historic houses to make way for a commercial complex in Middletown, CT. It was controversial not only for the proposed destruction of the homes, but also because commercial property is readily available a block away on Middletown’s Main Street. I created the print to help raise money for a group of citizens fighting the changes. 100% of sales of prints and t-shirts went to the legal defense. You can read about the project here.
