Hello and welcome!

 

I was born and raised in Milwaukee, but my art education and career have taken me far beyond Wisconsin. My background is steeped in the visual arts—both art history and studio art. 

 

Initially, I enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) with the goal of becoming a children's book illustrator; however, during my studies, I discovered a passion for art history. In 2018, I earned my BA in Art History, Theory, and Criticism from SAIC, where I focused on the perception and reception of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe—specifically Italy. I continued this research at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, where I earned an MA in History of Art in 2020. There, I shifted my focus to themes of alchemy, magic, identity and Blackness specifically in Venice: a multicultural hub during the Italian Renaissance. My dissertation investigated the origins of the Black “attendant” in the work of Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna under the patronage of noblewoman Isabella d'Este. This "trend" set by d'Este would, arguably, go on to inform the way Black figures were depicted in paintings well into the 19th century—and perhaps beyond. 

 

Today, as an object based historian, my projects include researching, writing about and curating the hidden stories that objects may have, especially as they relate to occult topics. I have continued to pursue my interest in the history of magic, as well as the material culture of folk healing and ritual globally. 

 

Although my focus has shifted, illustration remains my favorite way to create art and self-reflect. I'm most interested in animation, comics/graphic novels, and children's book illustration. My mixed media works explore animism, mortality, mysticism, reincarnation, and religious trauma.

 

Thank you so much for your time.