Social Practice

Collecting Advice
Portland, ME to Portland, OR | 2017

In the summer of 2017, I traveled from Portland, ME to Portland Oregon, stopping along the way to collect advice from people on my antique typewriter. I asked:  What’s the single best piece of advice that you have ever been given? I set up my typewriter in public spaces with a long roll of butcher paper and asked the community to collaborate and write their advice. The project resulted in hundreds of meaningful conversations with strangers, and the ability to give the advice I collected back to the world. I am in the process of creating a book of advice accompanied by screenprints.

Paper Growth Ring
Museum of Contemporary Craft | Portland, OR |

Part of a collaboration titled “Touching Warms the Art”. Participants glued a single paper ring to the Growth Ring. When dry, participants placed the ring on their finger and photographed their hand against a black background with a Polaroid camera. Photos were pinned to the wall. In the end, the project represented the commonality of the aging process, like the rings of growth on a tree.

Pumpkin
San Diego, CA | 2011

This series was created on the Southwestern-most farm in the U.S., where the fence of the Mexican border could be seen from the fields. I harvested a pumpkin from the farm and photographed the pumpkin in the hands of every employee of the farm--from the migrant workers to the folks in the office, the packers and the part-time kids like me. The goal was to illustrate diversity and community, as well as how many hands it takes for a farm to operate.

Lunar Hand Project
Multiple U.S. cities and states | 2008

My MFA graduate thesis. Over the course of one full lunar cycle, I traveled around the U.S. and photographed a handmade ring on the hands of as many women as I could. As I collected their photos, I also collected their stories. Finished, the project revealed the differences, connectivity, and community among women. The project was featured on the cover of the Seattle Times.