Alfred Documents

Statement of Intent (300 max) - 299 submitted

I have had a varied career path prior to deciding to attend graduate school in art. I have been a musician, a theater technician, a college student mentor, and a photographer to name a few.

One of the advantages of this winding path is that I have done the work of figuring out who I am, and have examined several of the lenses through which I view the world. I am looking for a concentrated period to explore and deepen my artistic voice.

My greatest artistic challenge in the last several years has been access to studios and equipment. Glass and neon are integral to my current work, and I have been limited in my progress without consistent access.

I want to expand my work into larger and more interactive installation experiences. I am looking for collaboration and an interdisciplinary practice. The artistic application of science is a focus that is important to me. Kinetics, microcontrollers, sensors, and human-computer interactions are all areas I would like to explore.

Alfred’s Glass Material Science department is of particular interest. I would like to pursue new glass formulations for use in plasma work, specifically a glass that has a workable COE in between boro and soft glass. I’d also like to explore thin film coatings on sculptural glass (similar to cell phone screens) to enhance interactivity. I would not have access to the knowledge and facilities to do this otherwise.

Alfred emerged as my top choice for programs because of the alumni I have encountered recently. They are all strong artists and instructors. I have met both Sarah Blood and Rebecca Arday, and would love to continue my work with their expertise and direction. Community is vastly important and I want to participate in and foster the legacy of the Alfred network.

Artist Statment (300 max) - 287 submitted

My work uses the juxtaposition of natural and human-created elements to explore our relationship to the complex interconnectedness of all existence. Is human-made not also natural? At what point do our human products —physical, social and systematic—become unnatural or cross the line into something destructive? With our advanced status in the system, what are our responsibilities?

I primarily work in wood, stone, glass, and plasma. The wood and stone elements are foraged, rooted with a sense of place and the story of their own existence. The glass and plasma elements use human ingenuity to recreate natural elements and give form to the power carried by human existence.

Science and technology are intimately linked with wonder in my work. Through technologies that are new—or at least ones that are unfamiliar—I seek to open myself and others up to place of curiosity and wonder. Curiosity mixed together with wonder, as opposed to fear, sparks empathy. And from empathy comes kinship and positive action.

It is a powerful feat to be able to create glass, a material that forms naturally from a volcanic eruption. It takes knowledge and imagination to place lightening into a bottle. These are the inheritances we have as humans. What are we going to do with it?

I am interested in the social systems we create as humans, and how we use power within these systems to affect our societal and individual psyches. I am a philosopher at heart, with a eye for science and engineering. Advancements in technology bring me joy and wonder, and are fertile ground for the experiences I seek to create. Human/nature made, analog/digital, retro/future, known/unknown. These are all thematic areas I continue to explore.