Visual Arts

I grew up in a small town north of New York City where I spent my childhood playing dress-up, collecting stickers, and building forts in the woods, and my teenage years imagining the studios behind windowsills covered with cans of brushes on weekend trips to Soho. I come from a family of crafty people and so making things by hand has always been something that is valued and central to my life. My art teachers in high school, college, and graduate school were extremely influential to me, and I am still in touch with most of them. They inspired me to pursue a career that would allow me to share my love of the arts with young people. Art, for me, has always been about connecting people and their stories through common interests and conversation, and I try to instill that in my students at Beaver. I started teaching at Beaver in 2006 after living for six years in New York City where I made and taught art in The New York City Public Schools. In addition to teaching I am always hard at work in my studio, located at Waltham Mills Artists Association, located in an old textile mill. My work has been exhibited locally at Proof Gallery, formerly in South Boston, at Carroll and Sons Gallery, in the South End, and at 13 Forest Gallery, in Arlington.

I hail from the third pole: Walpole, MA. I was a busy kid, and I still am a busy kid. As a student, school was not my favorite place but art got me through my academic experience. It was the class for which I could not wait each day. Sitting still was, and remains, a difficult challenge so art class was a place I could use my creativity and energy positively. I am indebted to my art teachers for inspiring me to pursue art. When my high school art teacher suggested I major in art in college my mouth dropped open, “I can major in art?” Alfred University was a great choice for me; a school where experimentation was not just recommended but mandated. Teaching allows me to link art and working with kids, two things about which I really care. Saying “I love working with kids” is how I usually explain the reason why I teach. However, “work” often feels like play to me. I guess it makes sense that I found Beaver by way of their summer program where I still work and play. I truly enjoy helping kids grow as artists and feel lucky that I found a school that does too.