Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MFA, Kent State University, 2023, College of the Arts / School of Art

I have mourned many people, most of whom are still alive. Forming and maintaining relationships has always been difficult for me. They blossom and die in unexpected ways. For the vast majority of my life, I have felt like an outsider, never quite fitting in with family, friends, or community. This has led to relationships ending in sudden and unexpected ways, and I carry an immense amount of grief with me. These experiences have led me to create a collection of mourning veils in which I explore my non-linear grieving process of interpersonal relationships. These pieces are heavily influenced by my identity as a fat, neurodivergent, genderqueer dyke. I find it impossible to separate my mourning process from my identities which often leave me alienated and on the outside of my communities. Through captured pearls, cast silver, linked steel chain, and laser cut acrylic, I create a structure for my grief to manifest. These wearable objects allow me to physically express the emotions I experience internally but struggle to appropriately display. The weight and/ or placement of the pieces make them impossible to ignore, much like the aching pangs of sorrow.

Committee: Andrew Kuebeck (Advisor) Subjects: Fine Arts

MFA, Kent State University, 2020, College of the Arts / School of Art

Suffering is a universal experience which exists in varying degrees. An injured soul seeks protection from what has harmed it, and can seek safety in withdrawal, isolation, depression or mania. My thesis work is a vessel for coping and healing, and the thinking that lies behind it. I use biomorphic forms that cluster, cover and consume the wearer as the physical manifestation of emotional shelter. These adornments, referencing magic, tarot, and fantasy, are imbued with a protective and healing aura. This sense of protection, in whatever form it takes, acts as armor fortifying the wearer and allowing them to confront their trauma.

Committee: Andrew Kuebeck (Advisor); Janice Lessman-Moss (Committee Member); Shawn Powell (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts; Metallurgy; Metaphysics

MFA, Kent State University, 2015, College of the Arts / School of Art

What I Lived for addresses themes of identity and the projection of identity. In this series, the imagery combined in each piece constructs a narrative regarding the wearer's connection with nature, or feelings of biophelia. It becomes evident that more important than the wearer's actual communion with the outdoors is the notion that others would associate the natural world with the wearer. While such identities we construct for ourselves may not hold up over extreme testing, through the completion of this thesis body of work it becomes clear that they are nonetheless critical for self awareness.

Committee: Kathleen Browne (Advisor); Gianna Commito (Committee Member); Isabel Farnsworth (Committee Member); Sean Mercer (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

MFA, Kent State University, 2013, College of the Arts / School of Art

The idea that clothing and adornment can affect the wearer is one that has spawned countless artistic endeavours and studies, with some researchers and artists having sought the reasons why this interaction has persisted, changed and adapted over the years. In creating theories and hypotheses, these researchers and artists have approached the subject from various angles. In Stand Tall, I address not only the relationship between the physical and psychological aspects of adornment, but how it can affect the wearer psychologically. With the combination of elaborate brass textured through the process of reticulation and needle felted, eye-catching, coloured wool roving, I created pieces that assist the wearer to not only fix a physical problem, but also provide protection from injury and allow them the means to recreate themselves in their own mind and put forth a more poised and confident individual ready to take on the world.

Committee: Kathleen Browne (Advisor); Isabel Farnsworth (Committee Member); Catherine Leslie PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts

MFA, Kent State University, 2011, College of the Arts / School of Art

Felt is inherently malleable. There is an immediacy to felt that is both playful and sensuous, and is characterized by unique properties that permit almost limitless exploration. It's primary ingredient, wool, is a non-precious, wholly renewable material that exemplifies textile's longstanding associations with the body and protection. These attributes make felted fiber a dynamic medium for artistic exploration. Throughout this exploration is the understanding that dress and adornment are nonverbal forms of communication—social semiotics that convey information about the wearer, particularly messages regarding gender and identity. Working within the language of craft, textile and jewelry enables me to create dimensional objects that not only relate to the body but are also animated by it—allowing for a dialogue between the wearer and the object.

Committee: Janice Lessman-Moss (Advisor); Kathleen Browne (Committee Member); Catherine Leslie (Committee Member); Isobel Farnsworth (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Textile Research