From Objects & Spaces to Audiences & Systems

Art and design were my first ways of understanding how people encounter the world. My practice as an artist and designer has always involved more than making an object: I think about material, scale, movement, context, function, and what happens when something enters a public space. Years of public art work also taught me that even the strongest creative idea depends on research, communication, coordination, budgets, partners, and the ability to adapt as real conditions change.

Teaching added another layer: people rarely arrive at the same experience from the same starting point. Working with art and design students made me more attentive to how prior knowledge, confidence, interests, and access shape participation. That interest followed me into Museum Studies, where my work expanded from exhibition design and interpretation into audience research, accessibility, evaluation, collections learning, project management, and institutional strategy.

Today, I am most interested in the connections between these areas. I may be designing an experience, studying how visitors use one, or examining how an institution turns mission into decisions and resources. What ties the work together is the same curiosity: who is this for, what is happening around it, what does the evidence tell us, and what needs to happen for the idea to work in practice?

EXPLORE MY WORK │ LET’S COLLABORATE

LECTURES, PANELS, & PUBLICATIONS

2023 (Masterclass) Intersecting Art, Design, and Functionality in Public Spaces. College of Fine Arts & Design – University of Central Oklahoma. Edmond, OK
2020 (Visiting Artist) Public Art Process and Career, College of Fine Arts & Design – University of Central Oklahoma. Edmond, OK
2020 (Visiting Artist) Setting Up Art Business Studio, College of Fine Arts & Design – University of Central Oklahoma. Edmond, OK
2019 (Guest Speaker), "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" (1) Public Art Bootcamp presented by OVAC and the Norman Public Art Board – Norman, OK. (2) Public Art & Inclusion Bootcamp presented by the City of OKC, Oklahoma Contemporary, and Rotary OKC-Midtown.
2019 (Guest Speaker), "Functional Art: The Intersection Between Art & Design” | PechaKucha | Stillwater, OK.
2019 Scholarship Selection Committee. College of Fine Arts & Design – University of Central Oklahoma (UCO)
2019 Mentoring Art Student Program – Symbiotic 2019 Exhibition. Melton Gallery – UCO
2019 (Visiting Artist) Critique Night Program. College of Fine Arts & Design – UCO
2018 Judge – Sculpture Program Competition, OK State Fair.

Selected Honors, Awards, Fellowships

2023 College of Fine Arts & Design’s Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond – OK
2023 The State of Oklahoma - Citation. Recognizing the artist's talent and work to enhance and define the character of diverse Oklahoma communities through Public Art Installations around the State, Oklahoma City – OK
2021-23 City of Austin’s Pre-Qualified Artist Pool – Art in Public Places (AIPP), Austin – TX
2020-21 Artist-in-Residence. University of Central Oklahoma, College of Fine Arts and Design, Edmond – OK
2019 Mineck Furniture Fellowship - Society of Arts & Crafts - Boston.
2019 O. Gail Poole Oklahoma Artist Travel Award - Norman Arts Council
2018 Creative Projects Grant - Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC)
2017 Downtown OKC Inc. Artist Invitational Award for Artistic Public Seating Group at Hightower Park/Downtown OKC/Art District
2015-25 City of Oklahoma City’s Pre-Qualified Artist Pool. Categories: 3-D Art, Functional Public Art, and Mosaic
2016 AHAS Award / Wood category. (Academy of Handmade Artists & Supporters) LA – California
2014 Most Outstanding Hispanic Artist Award – OK
2014 Creative Projects Grant - Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC)
2014 Artist Fellowship. Artist INC Live Oklahoma City – OVAC
2011 Award for Excellence in Design by the College of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Central Oklahoma

Public Art Installations & Private Commissions

2023 Aqua & the Floral Blossom. Façade design of the new parking building at the Norman Health Plex. Commissioned by: Norman Regional Health System, Norman – OK
2022-23 SYNESTHESIA, Immersive Art Installation. Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art,  Norman – OK (In collaboration with Factory Obscura)
2022  Oklahoma: Scenic View. Art wall and Sculptural tables group for the OKC Municipal Court. Commissioned by: City of Oklahoma City,  OKC – OK.
2020 Never Stop Dreaming, the Sky is the Limit…at Capitol Hill Library, Oklahoma City – OK
2019 [EVOLVE] Sculptural Bike Rack Group at McKinley Park (City Park) / Classen Ten Penn Neighborhood, Oklahoma City – OK
2018 NURTURE Sculptural Seating Group at Hightower Park / OKC City Hall’s garden extension / Downtown Oklahoma City – OK. Commissioned by: Downtown OKC Partnership
2016 Pure Skills Design of Bike Rack - OU Student Corner, downtown Norman’s Arts District. Commissioned & built by Norman Arts Council – OK
2016 Interior Sculptural Lighting Installation. Commissioned by: GE Global Oil & Gas Research Technology Center, OKC – OK
2016 Sculptural Accent Chairs. Commissioned by: ARTEMISIA Art Gallery, Chicago – Illinois.

Selected Art Shows

Selected Solo & Two-Person Exhibitions

2023 Urban Activation. Governor’s Gallery – Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City – OK [Solo Show]
2021 Between Play and Function. Oklahoma Hall of Fame | Gaylord-Pickens Museum, Oklahoma City – OK [Solo Show]
2017 November Art Show. JRB Art at The Elms, The Paseo Arts District, Oklahoma City – OK [Solo Show]
2014 DECODE. The Project Box, The Paseo Arts District, Oklahoma City – OK [Solo Show] (Curator)
2014 May Show. 1219 Creative Art Gallery, Oklahoma City – OK.

Selected Juried Exhibitions

2020 40 Over 40: Women Artists of Oklahoma. MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Norman – OK
2018 Vision Makers Biennial. 108 Contemporary. Tulsa – OK
2016 Oklahoma Contemporary’s Inaugural Edition of Guerrilla Art Park. Oklahoma City – OK.
2016 A Hiding Place. [Artspace] at Untitled. Oklahoma City – OK
2014 Selfie: An Exhibition on Identity. MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Norman – OK

Selected Invitational Art Exhibitions

2019 Sculptural Park-Festival of the Art. Arts Council OKC – OK
2019 Symbiotic. The Melton Gallery, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond - OK
2017 November Art Show. JRB Art at The Elms, The Paseo Arts District, OKC – OK
2016 Public Narrative: Story of Self, Us & Now, MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Norman – OK
2016 Brilliant: The Light Show, JRB Art at The Elms, The Paseo Arts District, OKC – OK
2015 Structure. Functional Art of the 405. 1219 Creative Art Gallery, OKC – OK
2015 Rise: Latino Contemporary Art. UCO CHK / Central Boathouse. OKC – OK
2015 Alchemy. Melton Gallery. The University of Central Oklahoma.  Edmond – OK
2015 Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts - Sculptural Park
2015 Art Now. Oklahoma Contemporary. OKC – OK
2013 Soundscapes. Oklahoma City Science Museum. OK
2011 Authentic Containment. Donna Night Gallery. UCO, Edmond – OK.

Selected Group Art Exhibitions

2021 UCO Art & Design Faculty Exhibition, Melton Gallery - University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond – OK
Dec. 2015-16  Retracing. MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Norman – OK (Co-Curator)
2014-15 OKC125. The Underground, Downtown Oklahoma City – OK
2014 Chandelier & Other Luminous Objects. Living Arts of Tulsa, Tulsa – OK
2013 Locus. Istvan Gallery. Oklahoma City – OK (Curator)
2012 I See What You Are Saying. Fringe Gallery. Oklahoma City – OK. (Co-curator)