Artwork + Approach
from climate change to social justice to personal healing, humxnity is being called to remember our interconnectedness and to live in wholeness. we are living in a time where everyone is needed to heal, to express themselves authentically, and to connect to one another deeply. it is towards this vision of a whole and interconnected humxnity that i direct all of my art, as well as my educational and spiritual offerings.
drawing upon deep connections to nature, spirit, memory, and sound, i create community experiences for connection to be realized. whether that is complex perspectives shared between strangers or urban communities realigning with the seasonal rhythms of nature, i believe art is the process by which we remember how to live and honor one another.
in particular, sound is a powerful medium for this connective work. at any given moment you are hearing multiple sounds simultaneously. meaning that sound is complex and holds many stories, like water. as we listen, we practice holding these stories. we become sacred vessels for the wisdom and the healing they impart, and in turn we are nourished by receiving and listening. in sound, complex lived experiences such as living with grief can be shared and in listening, those experiences can be received and held as a community.
my primary performance medium is sound ritual, where i weave ambient field recordings, rituals, channeled songs and elemental percussion and electronics, to create transportive experiences that are equal parts prayer, journey, and healing.
specific questions my work explores are how can sound art impart memories and lived experiences between artist and community? how can embodied listening foster empathy and connection between people who do not share the same experiences? what is the role of sound in memory? how does our personal and collective associations impact our listening? how can sound be used to evoke marginalized experiences, and allow audiences to step inside another’s experience? how can listening provide a process for connection and empathy? in our way of listening, what perspectives and perceptions are reinforced?
some of my works include the sacred seasons project, a half-year journey of sound rituals that realign us with the seasonal rhythms of nature through sounds of the natural world. the ceremony project (2018), a community sound ritual for grief and living with loss. as well as, when half is whole (2019), a performance sound art piece on multiracial identity and the moon, which was commissioned by Claire’s Continuum.
currently i am working on Where Land Meets Sky: Geophonic Transmissions for the Body, which is generously funded by the Brooklyn Arts Council.
Performance, Teaching, and Arts Education
as a multi-percussionist, my performance work has been presented at the brooklyn museum, walt disney concert hall, the los angeles museum of natural history, the stone in nyc, and on national television with alicia keys, black girls rock, and america’s got talent.
in 2016, i served as director of music for art slope, a 10-day multi-arts festival in conjunction with park slope civic council, where our team curated over 90 musical performances in over 75 venues including the brooklyn public library and prospect park.
currently serve i serve as director of music education for inner arts initiative, a brooklyn-based non-profit that promotes creative empowerment and self-expression for personal and collective well-being through educational and performance programming.
with 17 years experience as an educator and advocate for creative expression, i have facilitated workshops for the brooklyn museum, taught for programs such as girls inc, girls rock philly, the leadership program, and the go project. my areas of expertise are listening, sound art, percussion, decolonizing music ed, and creative empowerment. my approach to teaching stands firmly in supporting students to self-determine their art and reframe music education through the lens of decolonization and reconstruction centered in joy and love.
as a writer, my published works have appeared in publications such as tom tom magazine and have been cited in npr.
Witchcraft, Tarot, Art Witch Podcast, and SoundArtMagic
witchcraft is a natural extension of my creativity. so much of my art is weaving sounds based on their cultural correspondences. spells are the intentional weavings of herbs, crystals, colors, elements, symbols, and words, etc based on correspondences connected to our culture, history, environment, etc.
i believe witchcraft is a powerful modality for dismantling the harmful and limiting narratives of the patriarchy, particularly in an effort to free our creative expression. i’ve worked countless spells for my own art that have liberated my creativity and expression. so most of my tarot readings and spells are focused towards creative liberation for my clients.
in 2019, i was called to create soundartmagic.com, a virtual dream space where we explore creativity, mindfulness, and magic for personal and collective healing. here, i create meditations, videos, newsletters, workshops, and tarot readings for creative liberation through the lens of magic.
my rituals can be found in publications such as 2020 many moons lunar planner and i facilitate workshops on sound energy, listening work, witchcraft, and tarot at community hubs such as hauswitch and new women space.
my life’s pleasures include sunshine, the sound of wind through the pines, red crossbills, visiting my favorite sugar maple, hiking in the catskills, being in love, floating in the waters of el nido, talking to dear friends in a hot tubs under the full moon, meditating among the clover, all things tarot, and geeking out over sound. i reside in the sweetest old, little apartment with my soul mate in brooklyn, along with many stray cat guardians, beloved plant babies, and a sea of musical instruments.