I am from Milwaukee, where on the shores of Lake Michigan I ran barefoot down the beach, jumped in waves, and learned to listen to my body’s pull towards the water.
Milwaukee is also the place where I learned of injustice. This began my journey as an activist and community organizer, themes that show up in my work and have influenced my path in life. It is also in Milwaukee where I followed in the footsteps of my maternal side and continued the tradition of sewing. I received my first sewing machine in elementary school and made my first quilt by fifth grade (which I’ve since passed down to my oldest). Since then sewing, art, and creativity have flowed throughout my life.
My love of water eventually drew me to Lake Superior where I live in the Apostle Island region of northern Wisconsin with my partner and our two young kids. For the past ten years I’ve focused much of my creative energy into sewing custom bags and gear for adventures, modifying and mending clothing, and quilting.
More recently, I’ve delved deeper into sewing as a creative expression in which I draw upon my life experiences and interests to tell stories. My background in bicycle and pedestrian planning, wetland science, and cartography finds its way into pieces through the use of aerial imagery, LiDAR data, and topographic maps to create these map-based pieces either as full-size quilts or small quilted art pieces.
Likewise, I draw inspiration from adventures I’ve had, experiences organizing for social and environmental justice, and my current work helping to strengthen resilient Indigenous food systems in the Great Lakes area. I deeply enjoy the process of learning and problem solving. All together, these experiences and interests are reflected in my work through experimentation and the use of a wide range of techniques.