Artist Statement

My art practice has been a pursuit of understanding my cultural identity through discovery and research of indigenous Bolivian weaving practices. I am an adoptee in a white family where I grew up both in my birth and passport country and experienced my native culture as an outsider. My interest in weaving has culminated into a three year study investigating the traditions, techniques, symbolic, and spiritual meanings of Bolivian weaving. My weaving practice has been influenced in part by the global waste-pollution crisis. Waste appears as a critical medium in nearly all of my artistry. I often use discarded materials in my practice such as clothing, mophead braids, and plastic shipping straps. My objective is to rediscover the native weaving traditions of my people and pass down this treasure of Bolivian heritage to a new generation.