01
No Exit Poster
HON 180
Death, queerness, theater, and philosophy: a grand ‘ol time. I have been illustrating posters for theater productions since high school, so when we were given a creative option in response to seeing the Maine Masque production of No Exit, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This process was different from before, though, since I was on a much different timeline, I didn’t know the actors, and my design wasn’t serving any professional purpose. This poster was an experiment, then, in seeing how much I could do with limited knowledge of the play, actors, and resources, and a test to see if Maine Masque would be interested in using my art in the future. I was fairly proud of my final design, and absolutely smitten with the show itself, and altogether satisfied with how I meshed the two aesthetics. Since making this poster, I am happy to say I have illustrated two more designs for professional use, and have plans to make more.
02
Invisible Knapsack Essay
HON 111
One of the first essays I did in my Honors career, talking about the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna, focusing on the themes of women, literature, deities and power. As a cultural anthropologist I am very invested in these themes individually and collaboratively, and so trying to cover everything within a few short pages was a bit intimidating. Naturally, I have since dipped back into these topics with my work on “Mother Goddesses” and the Surrealist Zine, as well as coursework outside of Honors. Another aspect of this paper I'd like to highlight is the writing style employed here and how that contrasts to later works included here.
03
Mother Goddesses
HON 212
Continuing the theme of women in art and inspired by Adrienne Rich’s Of Woman Born, I selected four “mother goddesses” from different cultures and times, focusing on the relationship between femininity and life, marriage, and paradoxical subordinacy. In many cases, the woman is second to the man, even as a supernatural being, despite often maintaining power over life itself. As beings created by man, it makes sense then, that this paradox of reality spans over to our deities as well. I was frustratingly limited by the small space and text allowed, so I would love to continue this research past this initial introduction into a larger project.
Link to full image
04
Jesus for Kids!
HON 121
Exploring how important cultural themes are translated and passed on to new generations, focusing on the “what” and “how.” Growing up in a religious household, I am very familiar with the media and methods of teaching Christianity to young kids, for better and for worse. Working with my good friend, we put together these slides to explore different ways Christian religious groups attempt to connect with kids, specifically analyzing how they deal with darker topics from the Bible. During our presentation, we handed out crayons and religious-themed coloring pages to set the scene for our audience, and also to showcase another method of educating kids. As you move through these slides, I recommend playing with some crayons to really set the scene.
Link to full presentation
05
Here, Queer, and Surreal
HON 212
I chose this piece as one of my more recent works and one that I was able to take a creative approach on, something I value highly in my Honors journey. For this work, I decided to focus on my identity as a queer artist with a particular love of surrealist art, and pay tribute to those that came before me. Selecting seven different female/non-binary, queer, surrealist artists, I included their name, picture, and a selection of their work. The limited space of a zine forced me to condense the information I wanted to share about them, forcing me to let their art speak for itself. This was one project I learned more from the process than the finished product, as in order to make the zine, I first had to learn how, which involved attending a workshop, researching the artists in depth, selecting photos, sizing them to be printed, then gluing them all together in a pleasing and informative manner. As it turns out, the hardest part was getting the booklet to close.
06
Prologue to the Nursing Home
HON 112
Inspired by the Canterbury Tales, an exploration of romanticizing my job as a waitress in an old folks’ home in a medieval-esque light. Writing creatively isn’t something I do often, but when I do, it’s usually in the form of poetry. The constraints of meter allow a fun challenge of saying what I want to in as few words as possible while allowing freedom to explore topics that would otherwise seem overwhelming as prose. Working at the old folks’ home for three years left a huge impression on me, in life experience, work experience, and perception on aging in general– something I tried to capture within this poem’s stanzas. While not my best or most fluent poem, I think it conveys these ideas in a unique way that I can still appreciate.
07
Emily Dickinson: Love, Loss, and Queer Identity
HON 211
I chose this essay as an example of my writing capabilities within Honors, and, once again, my preference for queer, female artists. Emily Dickinson as a queer poet greatly interested me, especially in how her internal and physical limitations are translated in her poetry. I greatly enjoyed digging into the content and context of her works and comparing it to my own.
08
The Moomins Take on the Future
HON 111
For this assignment, I was challenged with finding a personal connection with the traditional Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching. I ended up linking the philosopher's emphasis on free-thinking and ambiguity with the work of Tove Jansson. Originally known to me through her Moomin comic series, Jansson has become a role model to me through her existence as a creative, queer woman as well as a illustrative visionary. I compared her notably adventurous, care-free Moomin family to the beliefs of the Tao and my personal philosophy. Seeing my future through the lens of these thinkers from the recent and distant past strengthens my confidence in the present and offers an optimistic perspective through which to move forward.