Disordered Creatures

September 27 - October 28, 2023, Bolivar Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky

From Surrealist artists utilizing “exquisite corpses” to address the unconscious effects of post-war trauma to present-day artists who use “disordered companions” to grapple with mental health, artists have long created external imaginary characters to embody their emotional and psychological struggles. The artists in this exhibition craft metaphorical narratives with Disordered Creatures that become empathic vessels for materializing anxieties, fears, and traumas. Each artist tackles imposing topics through the viewpoint of creatures. Their work invites the viewer to adopt the creatures’ perspective, to empathize with their struggles.

Since the early 1900s, historians have attempted to define and catalog Kentucky Jeans. This project is a continuation of those efforts. While we still need to learn precisely what Kentucky Jeans were, we have evidence they were well-known, especially during the 19th century. 

Kentucky jeans, a notable version of denim, have a long history of being workers' clothes in the United States. During slavery, white plantation owners bought Kentucky Jeans by the yard to have their enslaved workers sew together shirts and pants that would get used every day for the year. They were often dyed with Indigo, a dye that was hard to create and was further connected to enslaved people since some enslaved people were taken because of their knowledge and skill in using Indigo for dyes. When Indigo became more readily available, dyes were sold as bricks and could be transported and stored easily. Therefore, more clothes could be dyed with it, making it less costly.

From the Streets

November 1 - December 6, 2023, Bolivar Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky

Showcasing work from two classes that study abroad, this work focuses on the streets- from underground culture to everyday life. Serving as a way to experience Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Paris, France, students created artwork based on their experiences as Kentuckians abroad.

Gatton Student Center Pop Up Shows

Ongoing, Gatton Student Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

As the Student Art Curator for the Gatton Student Center, I developed an ongoing series of Pop-Up shows for Faculty and Students to display their projects from courses on campus. Pop-Up Shows at the Gatton Student Center are collaborations between students, faculty, and the Student Art Curator at the student center showcasing student work from classes across campus. Open to any student or faculty, these shows provide updates on the creativity at the University of Kentucky. 

In collaboration with the Central Kentucky Slavery Initiative and the Henry Clay Estate, this video discusses the context and questions surrounding Lewis Richardson, a self-freed man who escaped to Canada via the underground railroad. He made a speech that was subsequently printed multiple times in America, decimating Henry Clay. Little is known of Lewis Richardson and his life before and after Ashland, but we know he fought and resisted enslavement in any way possible.