About my Fulbright project

From September 2018-January 2019, I have the thrill of being in Taiwan with a U.S. Fulbright Award as an Artist-Teacher-Scholar. My creative research investigates ancient and contemporary human-bird imagery and stories in Taiwanese and Asian cultures, joining this theme to art-making and global climate concerns. My goal is to absorb and share images that inspire me, and to promote contemplation of the human connection to birds in our threatened environment.

In addition to creative research, during the first half of my five-month stay in Taiwan, I am teaching an intensive workshop for graduate students at the Taipei National University of the Arts, culminating in a collaborative installation about “Becoming a Bird” using local materials.

On this site, I’m posting occasional photos and reflections about my research, art, and teaching, as well as personal responses to living and traveling in a new culture.

About My artwork

My recent bird-figure sculptures and installations use wire-mesh and mixed-media to explore relationships to nature and the environment. While my semi-figurative sculptures have long been inspired by natural forms—such as trees, plants, and the female body—my focus has become more urgent as I pursue the subject of our connection to birds in a changing climate. 

My artwork explores human-avian composite beings, recalling mythological winged figures related to the soul. Inspired by stories and images from many world cultures, these hybrid beings incorporate archetypal and psychological content familiar from religion and fairy tales. Whether grounded or airborne, my sculptural figures reflect on essential human desires and raise questions about our conflicting responses to nature.    

Artist Bio

My sculptures and public art installations have been exhibited widely in galleries, parks, museums, healthcare and educational settings, including commissions in NYC at the Flatiron Prow Art Space; Pratt Sculpture Park in Brooklyn; NYU Langone Medical Center; Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ; and the National Marine Museum in Taiwan. Awards include a Creativity Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, fellowships from the New York and New Jersey State Arts Councils, and residencies at Sculpture Space, Skowhegan, and Yaddo. I earned a BA from Yale University and an MFA from Hunter College, and maintain a studio in the Lower Hudson Valley. In Fall 2018 I received a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award for travel to Taiwan to investigate human-bird composite imagery in religion, folklore, and popular culture.