One of the most meaningful aspects of my work is helping create opportunities for people to connect through art.

​

I'm the co-founder of StarFall Creative Collective, a grassroots, artist-led initiative dedicated to creative community building, accessibility, and mutual aid throughout Northeast Ohio.

​

Through StarFall, I help organize free community events, educational workshops, and resource-sharing programs designed to reduce financial, social, and material barriers to creative participation. Our projects include the Craft Destash Bash, a creative reuse event that connects unwanted art supplies with people who can use them, and the grant-funded Community Art Supply Pantry at Summit Artspace, providing year-round access to donated creative materials. We also a host a monthly creative meetup at Summit Artspace every third Saturday!

​

I care deeply about cultivating welcoming spaces where artists and community members can share their knowledge, resources, and creativity. At its heart, this work is about people, connection, and finding ways to support one another.

My professional experience spans nonprofit arts administration, exhibitions, grant writing, public programming, communications, and community engagement. I've had the opportunity to work with numerous arts organizations, galleries, museums, and educational programs throughout Northeast Ohio, gaining experience in both the creative and operational sides of cultural work.

​

My background in education includes K–12 visual arts, special education settings, community arts programs, adult workshops, and professional development for emerging artists. I particularly enjoy helping others build confidence in their creative abilities, learn new skills, and discover opportunities they may not have known were available to them.

​

I also have a growing interest in curatorial practice and the ways exhibitions can communicate ideas, connect artists, and invite audiences into new conversations. In 2026, I was selected as Summit Artspace's Emerging Curator for FRESH: Crafting the Narrative, a juried exhibition opening in January 2027.

​

Across these different roles, I'm interested in thoughtful, accessible programming and the behind-the-scenes work that helps creative organizations and communities thrive.

One of my ongoing interests is understanding how arts ecosystems function and how we can make them more accessible and sustainable for the people working within them.

​

My graduate research developed into Making Art Work: An Artist's and Arts Administrator's Field Guide to Northeast Ohio, an ongoing guidebook and companion digital resource project supported by an Ohio Arts Council grant.

​

The project helps artists, arts administrators, and cultural professionals navigate our regional arts ecosystem, discover opportunities and resources, strengthen community connections, and build more sustainable creative practices.

​

Much of this work comes from my own experiences trying to navigate the arts as an emerging artist and administrator. I've seen how difficult it can be to find information, understand institutional systems, and connect with the right resources, especially when that information is scattered across organizations and platforms.

​

Through research, writing, education, and the development of digital resources for StarFall Creative Collective, I hope to make that knowledge easier to access and share.

Alongside my professional work, I maintain two interconnected but distinct areas of artistic practice.

​

Through Star Catcher Studio, my illustration and design brand, I create colorful artwork, designed products, and handmade goods inspired by nature, magic, fairytales, and storytelling. This is where I embrace my love of whimsy, celestial imagery, playfulness, and gentleness, with the hope of creating work that sparks joy and encourages others to find a little magic in everyday life. Outside of participation in art markets, you can find my items on my Etsy, StarCatcherStore! Not everything is available online, but feel free to reach out if you have interest. I am also open to commission requests. 

​

​My personal artistic practice begins with loneliness and the desire to make private experiences visible. Drawing from lived experience, I explore disability, chronic illness, grief, memory, and identity through illustration, sculpture, and experimental mixed media. My work often blends dreamlike narratives, symbolism, and the fantastical with imagery that exists somewhere between beauty and discomfort. I'm particularly interested in how appearances shape our perceptions of others, and how pain and suffering can be dismissed when they aren't immediately visible or understood. I also incorporate traditional craft materials, questioning why forms of making associated with femininity, childhood, and domesticity are often considered less valuable. Through my artwork, I seek to give physical form to experiences and emotions that can be difficult to articulate, inviting others into the more vulnerable and complicated parts of my experience.

​

Both practices reflect different parts of my creative identity and my love of using art to tell stories, communicate emotions, and connect with others.

Storytelling has always been an important part of my creative life, whether through visual art, written narratives, or the imaginative worlds I've carried with me since childhood.

​

My writing spans research-based nonfiction, poetry, memoir, and fiction, exploring both the systems that shape our communities and the personal experiences that shape our lives.

​

One of my most personal ongoing projects is The Night Before Dawn, an illustrated speculative memoir blending autobiographical reflection with an allegorical fantasy narrative. It is an invitation into my inner world, where fantasy became a form of survival, and the stories I once created to escape reality became a way of understanding myself.​

​

Across my creative writing, research, and visual artwork, I find myself returning to the power of stories to help us explore new ideas, give meaning to our experiences, and better understand the world and ourselves.

Whether you're here to explore my artwork, learn about my community projects, collaborate on something creative, or connect professionally, I'm glad you found your way here.

I believe creativity is something worth sharing, and I'm always interested in the possibilities that emerge when people bring their knowledge, experiences, and imaginations together.

​

Email me at StarCatcherStudio@gmail.com