Residencies
2020-2021 San Diego Birch Aquarium at Scripps Oceanography UCSD
Invertebrate+Algae Expert, Artist-in-residence
As the Invertebrate + algae expert and Artist-in-Residence at the Birch Aquarium, I am working on a series of painted murals highlighting the local algae and invertebrates found in the Matlahuayl-San Diego Scripps Marine Protected Area while infant of the public. Visitors can watch me paint and learn about the organisms I am painting. I have also been helping the exhibition team curate their new outdoor exhibit Octopus Garden that features my series of southern California invertebrate paintings. My reference photos for my paintings come from the photographs I take while SCUBA diving the La Jolla MPAs and I consult with Scripps Researchers on what species that are important to feature to visitors. The second mural I am working on will focus on planktonic species, individuals that are far too small for visitors to see in the field.
Since I have been with the Birch Aquarium as the Algae + Invertebrates expert and Artist-in-Residence, I have seen firsthand the public’s limited knowledge of the ocean, its ecosystems, and its diversity of life. Using art as a bridge between the public and the marine creatures while providing education, people become intrigued and question what else they may not know. Feeding this curiosity will contribute to saving our oceans.
Here is a link to my position on the aquarium website.
2018 Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (REU)
Human-Insect Intervention
This project was accomplished because of the funding from the National Science Foundation and the Long Term Ecological Research Network, as well as support from the University of New Mexico and The Fish and Wildlife Service. In central New Mexico, I was pleasantly surprised to see so much life--insect life. Everyday I saw new insects I hadn’t seen previously, each with their own behaviors and roles. I questioned humans' relationship to insects: why are most interactions between the two always negative? 1. Misconceptions 2. Personal space. The combination of negative misconceptions and little exposure to a broader range of insects, has created this chasm between human and insects.
In response to this issue, I first created a series of illustrations that show the amazing adaptations and roles insects play in the wild, in the desert, combating misconceptions of insects as a group. Insects are actually super valuable! I then addressed the emotional disconnects people have with insects with the creation of two giant plush insect sculptures. One of a parasitoid fly, the other of a long-horned bee. They are made with a metal frame and fabric exterior. These two were meant to facilitate a positive interaction between human and insects. The sculptures are soft and inviting to touch and explore, seeing all the details on the insect that would be overlooked while looking at the actual organisms. Viewers interacted positively with the plushies, creating a connection with insects that would otherwise lack.
The project overall, is a tool for people to see the world differently through the awareness of insects. It crushes stereotypes of insects and initiates humans to change their behaviors and perspective towards insects, understanding that they do a lot of good for us. When people take the time to observe the insects outside of their house, they begin a path of discovery of how the earth works outside of our sheltered, human lives. They see what the earth has to offer them and makes for a better quality of life. individuals also become informed and can continue to defy the negative stereotypes of insects.
2018 Burren College of Art, Ireland
Spirits and Consumption
I wanted to dedicate this show to the creatures, or “spirits”, that live silently around me who transcend their existence into physical form in my sculptures and drawings. All have their own purpose, most speak about the environments they inhabit or come to my aid when I am lost. I see them as an accessible way to help depict ecological issues, for all ages and backgrounds, without viewers walking away feeling closed off from the difficult topics.
There is a serious need to communicate knowledge about the earth, from biologist who understands systems and organisms in nature, to the public. But this knowledge and awareness, alone, will not change people’s actions. There also needs to be a reciprocal connection too, like playful engagement or empathy of this earth as a living thing, beyond resources waiting to be exploited by us. The investigation and act of curiosity are more important, in a personal development connecting to the world, than finding the answers to questions asked. At times people outside of the science community feel shut out from our species' collective investigation of the earth’s biology because they cannot answer as many questions as a specialist. But, humans innate sense of curiosity shouldn’t be shunned after childhood because of lack of resolution, but rather, nurtured into adulthood as a tool for connecting to the earth that supports us. Through my collaboration with these “spirits”, I hope to invoke curiosity in the viewer, one that mimics the same curiosity that a child has in the woods looking under stones for slugs and pill bugs, and give viewers the confidence to continue exploring outside of the gallery.