Wayfinding & Worldbuilding

Establishing the courage and insight to “write oneself” is no small task. Or, at least it hasn’t been for me. In this paper, I share my journey through the fine arts, arts education, and community art practices, in search of a meaningful path that is responsive to community and place. Through my three years of study in Umass’s MFA program, I was afforded the time and space to explore and integrate disparate modes of practice. This paper outlines several of those explorations, which inevitably became milestones for two separate thesis shows. The first, Underworld / Otherworld (January, 2025), is a solo exhibition integrating my fine art and eco-art practice. The second, [RE]tangle No. 2 (April, 2025), is a collaborative show engaging community art practices that are designed to cultivate collective care and creative resilience.