Community & Public Art
The community plays a large role in expressing my values as an artist.
Art in the Park
Every July since 2015 - Present
Partnering with the Unity Park Advisory Council in Logan Square, Chicago to have a meaningful art-making event that celebrates the arts in the neighborhood. Working with the council, we develop a theme together every year around ideas that honor history, inclusion, sanctuary, diversity and commUNITY.
In 2020, we adapted to the pandemic by creating 1,000 art kits that were distributed safely.
2018 chalk drawing photos in conjunction with the 50 year anniversary of the Special Olympics
Art-in-the-park at home include this fun coloring book assembled by members of Anysquared
Every year 150 - 300 families with children attend this free event
2018 chalk drawing photos in conjunction with the 50 year anniversary of the Special Olympics
RTKL Chicago Gallery
2012-2016
Workplace gallery with quarterly art shows that I curated in support of the creative endeavors of my designer colleagues and local artists.
Grace Church Logan Square
Artist in Residence 2015
During my three month artist residency at Grace Church, I explored how a community activates a building. My previous work had examined the difference between the house and home, so I took a leap into observing how the church building is brought to life, given purpose, used by its members. By discovering an archive of photos dating back to the 1920s, I was able to find snapshots, portraits and images that captured moments in time that defined the purpose and activity of the church at that moment. I’ve collected those moments, along with captured portraits of the current community and remixed them into a site-specific artwork that honors all those moments and people, past and present that have created this church, your church.
Traditional stained glass that often tells the stories of the bible illuminating church spaces is my inspiration for the site I selected for the installation. Allowing the photos of the people, past and present, to tell the story of Grace Church.
Living Building Challenge: Greenhouse Design 'Looper'
2013-2014
VIEW the entire submission here.
I worked with a talented team of designers, architects and engineers to create a submission for a Living Building Challenge contest to design a greenhouse that is able to grow food and plants for food banks and farms in the Pacific Northwest bioregion. Our design, dubbed the "Looper", appropriates the atypical brownfield site of the Snohomish river by repurposing a barge and turning it into a greenhouse that can travel to multiple communities. It utilizes all natural processes to remediate the water and grow fish, plants and fresh, organic produce. It harnesses all its energy from renewable resources (sun, wind & water) and is a volunteer run space with a co-op work and educational ethic.
My responsibilities included researching the region, climate and culture to develop a comprehensive and realistic food production program that properly supplements the needs of the community and informed the design and layout of the floating space.
ComEd Metamorphridge Project
Summer 2013
ComED Recycled Fridge Art (Metamorfridge) was on display 500 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. My piece entitled We Are All Connected was an edible garden and a self-powered light-up diorama that shows all the different regional landscapes from farm to prairie to suburbs to city. Inspired by both the power grid and the green movement that connects us to the earth, We Are All Connected explores the exchange of energy.
For more information about this project's sponsor visit ComEd's website.
inset is a crank-powered lighting system that connects a diorama of rural, suburban and urban landscapes
turn the crank, watch the diorama light up
diorama detail with figures
inset is a crank-powered lighting system that connects a diorama of rural, suburban and urban landscapes
CANstruction World Record
January 2012
WE DID IT! We have received official notification that we have set the Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Canned Food Sculpture".
CANstruction is a competition that Architects and Engineers participate in to help fight hunger in an artistic and fun way.
Our team from RTKL Chicago donated their time and skills to help John Deere design and build is of a life size sculpture of their latest combine, dubbed "Project CAN-DO". The structure ended up being about life size, standing at 17’-6” Tall, 55’ wide, and about 80’ long. It was built out of about 310,000 cans and 12,000 bags of food. The design took our team 2 months to prepare in Revit and the build took 5 days to complete. Over 500 volunteers helped build it in 4 hour shifts under our direction.
Working with this team on such a massive project was an amazing and successful experience. I learned more about organization, preparation and volunteer management then I could have imagined.
Project team from RTKL
The cornstalks were that last, most difficult part
Project team from RTKL
Teaching Artist at Perspective
2010-2012
The Chicago Art Department partnered with Perspectives Charter School to teach art classes once a month, as the school did not offer any to students. As an artist in residence, the opportunity to develop and teach ReSculpture Class using recycled materials and paper mache techniques to 10th, 11th and 7th graders. I also taught the Senior class 'green graffiti' which included making seed bombs, planting sod art and moss painting.
In 2011, the Chicago Art Department (CAD) & Perspectives Charter School has had the great opportunity to collaborate at the Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC). HPAC had a under utilized full-functioning darkroom providing the opportunity to teach Lumetype with Caro D'Offay and Laura Gilmore to grades 6 -12.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or interest in collaboration.