Artist Statement

Life experiences have left a stain in my consciousness. Over time these incidents have manifested into nightmares of rotting, abandoned landscapes where mythical creatures roam free and wreak havoc. My current work is a series of looming, physical re-creations of these visions in the form of miniature sculptures and life sized installations that both incorporate shifting scale through the utilization of mixed media. These mediums allow me to blur the line between mass manufactured discarded objects and my painstakingly crafted interventions. With these environments, I aim to unseat the viewer and throw them directly into the realm of uncanny, alien worlds.

Burdensome mental health challenges and subsequent coping mechanisms have had a tremendous impact on the direction of my chosen aesthetics and processes. These theatrical sets are tinged with the magic escapism of fantasy, where the vivid color of memory is shrouded by the overarching dominion of torment. These haunted locales show signs of past habitation, but the human figure is never present directly in my work. This residual impression without a satisfying, direct modeling of the body is an acute expression of how I feel in my dreams - alone, afraid, and seeking a way out of my own mental captivity.

Components are made piecemeal with everyday materials that one might find in their own home, or in the aisle of the local craft store. Buttons, flocking, textiles, and even cereal boxes find new purpose within a dioramic space, creating a veritable kaleidoscope of textures and hues to both lure and repulse. One could imagine reaching out and plunging their hand into the glistening surface of pooled water, only to be surprised when they instead make contact with a solid surface. Appearances are always deceiving, and the interior never reveals the expected. This tactile blending of mediums allows me to cross from our quotidian world into the surreal - where everything creates a whisper of doubt as to its true nature. 

Education

Purchase College, SUNY
Expected Grad. May 2023 • Purchase  NY
M.F.A. Visual Arts
Expected Grad. May 2023 • Purchase  NY
M.A. Art History 

Stony Brook University
Grad. May 2020 (Summa Cum Laude) • Stony Brook NY
B.A. in Studio Art, Sculpture

Kansas State University
Grad. May 2011 (Magna Cum Laude) • Manhattan KS
B.S. in Apparel and Textile Management

Clovis Community College
Continuing Education 2017-2018 • Clovis NM

Neosho County Community College
Collegiate Preparation 2006-2007 • Chanute KS

Awards and Exhibitions

No Sign of Land
March 2022 • Richard & Dolly Maass Gallery,
Purchase NY

No Wrong Moves
December 2021 • Richard & Dolly Maass Gallery,
Purchase NY

Keep Me Company
November 2020 • Richard & Dolly Maass Gallery,
Purchase NY

Stony Brook President’s Purchase Award
May 2020 • Permanent Installation • President's Office,  Stony Brook University, Stony Brook  NY

Stony Brook Senior Show
May 2020 • Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery,  Stony Brook NY

Sunwood Exhibition
April 2020 - April 2021 • Sunwood Estate, Oil Field NY

Melville Library Student Show
February 2020 - May 2020 • Stony Brook NY

Independent Study Student Show
February 2020 - March 2020 • Staller Center, Stony Brook NY

SUNY Albany Plaza Show
November 2019 - November 2021 • SUNY Plaza, Albany NY

Sunwood Exhibition
April 2019 - April 2020 • Sunwood Estate, Oil Field NY

Melville Library Student Show
August 2019 - December 2019 • Stony Brook NY

URECA Exhibition
May 2019 • Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, Stony Brook NY

Jones Gallery Group Exhibition
August 2018 • Kansas City MO

Jones Gallery First Friday Exhibition
June 2018 • Kansas City MO

TRANSpire Charity Exhibition and Auction
June 2017 • Albuquerque NM

Bibliography

Stony Brook Honors Veterans with Annual Ceremony
November 10, 2019
Fanni Frankl, The Statesman
https://www.sbstatesman.com/2019/11/10/stony-brook-honors-veterans-with-annual-ceremony/

Air Force Vet Kat Maier Finds Community at Stony Brook
November 7, 2019
Sarah Beckford, Stony Brook News
https://news.stonybrook.edu/featuredpost/air-force-vet-kat-maier-finds-community-at-stony-brook/

Podcast Interview, 3 Episodes
November - December 2019
Community of Scholars, Stony Brook University

Student Speaker, Veterans Day Ceremony
November 2019
Veterans Affairs, Stony Brook University
https://news.stonybrook.edu/oncampus/stony-brook-honors-veterans-with-veterans-day-ceremony/

Student Speaker, America at War Lecture
November 2019
Professor Helmut Norpoth, Stony Brook University