ART FOR CHANGE: The Art For Change Residency at Mass MoCA was a total dream come true. The residency was part of Mass MoCA's four year long initiative to share focused arts education with elementary students of Northern Berkshire County. The initiative was built around four themes: Empathy, Optimism, Bravery and Problem Solving. The students visited the museum several times throughout the year and worked with artists in residence to create art around the selected themes.
I was invited to participate in the second year, Optimism. The theme inspired me to create a large butterfly sculpture with a disco ball helmet. Each day I made art with the students, and the completed butterfly was on display at Mass MoCA for six months.
This residency inspired me to share a similar process with students more broadly and in the end, I reached almost 200 students from 6 different schools. Together, we made art and learned about what makes us who we are. For this, I am eternally grateful.
VOGUE KNITTING LIVE: One weekend every January, Times Square is a magnet for fans of fiber art. The publication Vogue Knitting hosts three days of classes, marketplaces, fashion shows and the opportunity for this vast community of fiber freaks to come together. It has been an honor and a pleasure to participate as a featured artist to this amazing event several times. For days, there are no strangers, we are all friends, able to dive right into conversations about my favorite things : colors, textures and patterns. This community is so inspiring and I am grateful to be part of it.
SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL: Mass MoCA is host to Wilco’s three day art, music, storytelling and comedy festival. I’ve been a featured artist for this event twice, and it is a true joy for me. I love bringing my Airstream Studio and welcoming guests in to see where the magic happens, and participate in art making. This festival attracts such kind folks of all ages. I can hardly wait for the next one to see my best Solid Sound buddy, Toby From Detroit.
WASSAIC PROJECT: Living in the rural Northeast has it benefits. The gorgeous rolling Appalachian Mountains, amazing farms and food, and some freaking cool art happenings. Like the Wassaic Project, nestled in the little hamlet of Wassaic, NY, also known as the last stop on the Metro North from NYC.
The Wassaic Project's home in an old grain mill, and is 7 stories stacked with emerging contemporary art. It is always worth the adventure to this super cool venue. I was honored to be included in this exhibition.
ASSETS FOR ARTISTS RESIDENCY AT MASS MOCA: It was an honor for me to participate in the Assets for Artists Residency at Mass MoCA. The studio space and residence were so inspiring and the fellow artists in residence were a joy to get to know.
While in residence I crocheted Neon Leon, a 4' standing sculpture with wearable mask , scaling up my work from masks to full figures. This residency gave me the opportunity to push my art to the next level.
SAGA FEST: In May 2015 I was an artist in residence for Saga Fest in Eyrarbakki, Iceland. Saga Fest is an immersive and transformative arts & music festival that promotes sustainability & community building through story telling, skill sharing and participatory arts experiences. (This residency took place four weeks after my son was born, he was our youngest participant.) It was such an amazing time, building this art experience with people from around the world.
