Bio:

I am a multidisciplinary artist/educator based in New York City. My work spans across several mediums, incorporating sculpture, textiles, installation, performance, sound, and curatorial projects.  I received an MFA from Hunter College of the City University of New York in 2019, and a BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 2009.  I am appreciative to the Canada Council for the Arts for awarding a Digital Originals grant, Queens Council on the Arts for two SU-CASA grants, PlySpace Residency Program for a Resident Artist Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center for an Artist Opportunity Fellowship, and to Highly Authorized for a fully funded residency.

I love interacting with the public and sharing joy through art-making processes.  I have more than a decade of teaching experience from ages 3-95 and have taught art in a variety of settings including public schools (Pre-K - 12th grade), after-school programs (K - 12th grade), summer camps (Pre-K - 12th grade), universities (undergraduate + graduate), night classes at community centers (young adults), indoor/outdoor public workshops (all ages), senior centers (65+), and private lessons (3+).


Artist's Statement:

My red blood cells are mutated, spherically shaped and fragile; at age five I became severely anemic and underwent an emergency splenectomy, leaving my body immunocompromised.  For decades, as a way of survival as a chronically-ill person, I have researched ways to boost immune systems in order to improve cell function and create healthy microbiomes.

In 2014 I was struck by a car, whose driver ran a stop sign, while on my bike and left unable to walk for a year, resulting in permanent damage to my bones, ligaments, and muscles; I have since navigated life with chronic pain.  Though utilizing a daily physical therapy routine in an attempt to re-build my muscles to take the load off of my joints, my left leg is visibly smaller, weaker, and in much more pain than my right.

The philosophy of my recent body of work is informed by the process of being routinely sick, learning to walk again, and regrowth after atrophy, referencing "organs" as a double-meaning of body parts and musical instrument, physical therapy equipment, prosthetics, decaying organic matter, and plants/foods which protect and heal our bodies.  I have explored sculptures as objects of ritual, collaborative movement, and play, ranging from time-based devotions to endurance trainings in order to transform mental and physical states of being.  The materials and rituals which help to regain and maintain a somewhat functioning body and immune system inform the materials and processes used in my sculptures.

I am one half of interdisciplinary collaborative Skakun&Spadine. Together we work in the realm in which the physicality of sculpture and sound overlap. Our sound sculptures have been performed at art and music venues across NYC, including Outpost Artist Resources, Pioneer Works, NY(G), 205 Hudson, and Club Sourdough. Please watch videos of our performances here: https://vimeo.com/user80239543