Fabric Workshop and Museum Artist Apprenticeship 2014

Making "Hermit Crab Heaven" was definitely both challenging and rewarding, during my 2014 apprenticeship at the Fabric Workshop and Museum. I spent a lot of time in the Wagner Museum’s library, digging into early 1900s science books about shells and taxonomy. It took real focus and patience to absorb all that detailed scientific knowledge from another time, and that research became the foundation of the piece. Turning all that into art wasn’t just about getting the facts right—I also wanted to experiment, so I printed the imagery onto yardage, which gave the work a tactile, dimensional feel. Finding the balance between scientific precision and the physicality of the fabric pushed me in new creative and technical directions. That challenge made the whole process feel meaningful and helped me grow as an artist, mixing deep research with hands-on making in a way that really stuck with me.

Hermit Crab Heaven ties directly into a lot of what I’m about as an artist—especially my focus on close observation, digging through archives, and a strong connection to materials that have texture and history. The piece’s roots in old scientific texts connect to my ongoing interest in memory, place, and material history. Printing on fabric also speaks to my long-time love of textiles and working with natural and domestic materials. This project continues my exploration of quiet, layered stories pulled from landscape and culture, blending careful study with experimental approaches. For me, it’s a work that honors both past and present, just like my broader practice, which is all about uncovering and celebrating the everyday stories woven into our environments and histories.