How the Universe Forced Me to be an Artist
I’ve been a professional artist since 2018, something I never actually planned on. A near-death experience made me realize how much I regretted not creating.
I have a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts and Eastern Philosophy—I started out as a pre-med student before switching majors. After graduation, I earned a Master’s in Project Management and worked in healthcare for nearly a decade. Alongside that, I taught yoga and mindfulness, trying to live a “normal” (or at least adjacent) life.
When I made the leap into the arts, I started with large-scale charcoal drawings. My first major collection, Shadowform: The Human Body’s Secret Life, explored our relationships with our bodies. I interviewed community members about their personal stories and created life-size portraits that reflected themes from our conversations.
Then the pandemic hit. I couldn’t work with people directly, and I got really bored. I started building things out of materials I had around the house—mostly cardboard boxes from deliveries. That’s how I developed a new sculpting method using torn cardboard and hot glue. I created wearable pieces and staged outdoor “living sculpture garden” installations where actors wore the sculptures and people could walk through—always six feet apart, of course. That series explored voyeurism, and how it feels when art stares back at you, mirroring our shift to seeing people primarily through screens.
My career really began to gain momentum last year, when I was accepted into the NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory artist residency. There, I began combining my drawing and sculpture work in a new collection focused on my own experience with body dysmorphia, self-perception, and identity. I learned to build large-scale, free-standing sculptures that deconstruct anatomy, echoing the fragmented way we remember our bodies. These were paired with wearable pieces for audiences to interact with, and large drawings that sit somewhere between realism, movement, and surrealism. Anatomy has always been my visual language. It allows me to tell stories about pain, memory, and identity, especially as someone navigating chronic pain and mental health.
I started 2025 with a debut show at Slip Gallery in Seattle, followed by exhibitions at Artistry MN (Bloomington. MN), Threshold Arts and the Chateau Theatre (Rochester, MN), and Caledula Gallery (St. Paul). I’ve also been focusing on the overlap with other industries. I firmly believe innovation is birthed in these overlaps. From modern dance, fashion shows, music, and more, it is all experiential art, we just use different language.
At the heart of everything I create is a desire to reflect, stay curious, and connect. That drive keeps evolving, and I’m excited to see where it leads next.
Education
2013-2015.......Masters of Science in Project Management | Walden University
2007-2012.......Bachelors of Science in Fine Arts/Eastern Philosophy | University of Wisconsin- La Crosse
2016……200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training | Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center
2016-2017….. First & Second Degree Reiki Training | Reiki Usu Shirt Ryoho Tradition
Grants/Residencies
2024…Visiting Artist | Fishbowl Studios and Gallery | Seattle, WA
2024…CollexArt Art on Paper Artist Profile Award | CollexArt Online Gallery
2024…Artist Intern Fellow | NE Sculpture Gallery | Minneapolis, MN
2020-2021...Artist in Residence | Threshold Arts | Rochester, MN
2018-2020...Emerging Artist Grant | Southeastern Minnesota Art Council | Shadow Form: The Human Body's Secret Life
2011…International Undergraduate Research Grant | University of Wisconsin- La Crosse |Primitivism
2010...International Undergraduate Research Grant | University of Wisconsin- La Crosse | The Blending of Art and Science
Exhibition History
June 6-July 20, 2025…Solo Show | Through the Mirror, Through the Mind | Calendula Gallery, St. Paul, MN
May 17, 2025…Dance Performance | “Reconstructing the Self, Figure in Motion | Artistry Bloomington Center for the Arts, Bloomington, MN
May 8, 2025…Mental Health Artist Panel | “Making Space”| Historic Chateau Theatre, Rochester, MN
April 26-July 27, 2025…Group Show | “Trust the Hours” | Historic Chateau Theatre, Rochester, MN
April 4-July 27, 2025…Solo Show | “Living in the Disconnect” | Threshold Arts, Rochester, MN
March 4-May 18, 2025…Solo Show | “Reconstructing the Self” | Artistry Bloomington Center for the Arts, Bloomington, MN
January 10-February 1, 2025…Group Show | “Echoes Within” | Slip Gallery, Seattle, WA
November-December, 2024…Group Show | “Extremely Minnesota 2024” | Robbin Gallery, Robindale, MN
October 1-31, 2024…Group Show | “Liminal Spaces” | The Fishbowl Gallery, Seattle, WA
June 7-9, 2024…Group Show | “Tangible Hallucinations” | NE Sculpture Gallery Factory, Minneapolis, MN
March 2-30, 2024…Solo Show | “Pop-Up Rochester” | 115 N. Broadway, Rochester, MN
May 1-June 25, 2023…Solo Show | “Paper Doll” | 125 Live, Rochester MN
April 20, 2023…Solo Submission | “Little Shop of Horrors” | Studs, Struts, and Stilettos | Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN.. Awarded “Best Interpretation of Theme”
January 5-February 5, 2023…Group Show | “Woman in Screen” | Smallart Gallery | Rochester, MN
October 22, 2022...Group Show | "Meditations" | Art Attack | The Historic Chateau Theatre, Rochester, MN
October 20-27, 2022...Solo Show | "Oracles of EVEN Hotel" | EVEN Hotel, Rochester, MN
September 2022 -January 2023...Group Show | "Distraction" | Rochester Looking at Climate Change | Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
August 25, 2022...Solo Show | "Heron's Hunt" | Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
August 19-27, 2022...Solo Show | "Shadow Form: The Human Body's Secret Life | The Historic Chateau Theatre, Rochester, MN
October 2021...Group Show | "Salem Witch Trials" | Studs, Struts, and Stilettos | Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN
August 19 2021...Group Show | "Mutations" | I Made This, A Fashion Show | Artheads, Rochester, MN
June 12 2021 …Solo Show | "Maskquerade" Art for Neighbors | Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
January- March 2020...Solo Show | "Shadow Form: the Human Body's Secret Life" | Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN