Background
1989 Born in Detroit Michigan raised between Metro Detroit area and Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario Canada
Education
2012-2014 - Cranbrook Academy of Art, MFA metalsmithing, electives in Fiber and Sculpture.
2008-2012 - Wayne State University Bachelor of Fine Art, Summa Cum Laude in metals, ceramics & printmaking, co major university honors, minor in art history.
Bachelor of Art in psychology, Cum Laude with departmental honors, co-major in university honors with a minor in American studies.
2005-2008 - Henry Ford Community College Associates degree in Liberal Arts, Cum Laude, Phi Theta Kappa with honors.
Grants, awards and honors
2016-2017 IASPIS invited international Resident, Swedish Arts Grants Committee's international programme for visual artists and
designers. Stockholm, Sweden
2014 Merit Scholarship Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills MI
2013 Merit Scholarship Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills MI
2012 Heart and Soul Award, Michigan Campus Compact, Presented in Lansing MI
- James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History Travel Funding to SNAG Phoenix AZ, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
- Office of Undergraduate Research Travel Funding to SNAG Phoenix AZ, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
- Harriet Kanter Award for Student Development, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
2011 Honorable mention Michigan Mud Student Exhibition, Ann Arbor MI
- Wayne State University Undergraduate Research Grant "Crafting Identity."
- Art Activities Award in metalsmithing Wayne State University
2011-2010 Albert and Peggy DeSalle Endowed Scholarship in Metals Wayne State University
2010 Art Activities Award in metalsmithing, Wayne State University
- Children's Hospital of Detroit Installation
2009 Wayne State Undergraduate Research Grant "Breaking the Mold: a Comprehensive Study of Casting Techniques and Substrates"
2008-2010 Wayne State University Presidential Scholarship
2008- American Psychological Association recognition in student work at a community college
2007-2008 Henry Ford Community College Honors Scholarship
2007 Edsel Ford Creativity Award, Dearborn MI
- Artist of the Year Award, Dearborn MI
Exhibitions
2016 - Skin: the Human Fabric, Detroit Museum of Healing, Detroit MI
- Leder, Galerie Handwork, Munich Germany
- Featured artists at “Unexpected”, Craft Council of British Columbia Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
- Forget Them, Brooklyn Metal Works, New York, NY
2015 - chimera, Solo Exhibition, Platina Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
- Edition 15, Simmone De Soussa Gallery, Detroit MI
- The Closer, with Josephine Ronsholt Smith, Ninna York and Therese Morch-Jorgensen, York + Smith, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Matters of Material, Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
- EDIT@editbar with Sofia Björkman, Adam Grinovich & Annika Pettersson, Editbar, Boston MA
- Embellish, Metalwerx, Waltham, MA
- Collective Design Fair, Gallery Loupe, New York, NY
- Baggage, Tea and Coffee, (Part II) Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- the Grass is Always Greener, Overseas, Platforma & Platina Gallery in Neue Messe , Munich, Germany
- the Grass is Always Greener, Overseas, Platforma & Platina Gallery, Platina Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Bijoux 2015!, Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beech, FL
2014 - Marzee Graduate Show, Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Paddle 8 Auction LGBT to support Fire Island Residency, http://paddle8.com/auctions/pride, New York, NY
- Resolutely Ambiguous (Juried Exhibition), Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Baggage, Tea and Coffee, Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Graduate Degree Exhibition, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Gallery A, solo exhibition, Bloomfield Hills, MI
-Hell of a Thing (invited group show), 555 Gallery, Detroit, MI
2013 Taste the Sin, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Juried Exhibition, Hangzhou University, China
- Summer Time, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Zeitgeist, Queer Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA
- Above The Bar, Start Gallery, Detroit, MI
- Year long loan to Mercedes Benz Financial Services, Farmington Hills, MI
- Nothing New, Kingswood Lower Gallery, Birmingham MI
- Materials Hard & Soft, (catalogue) Greater Denton Arts Center, Meadows Gallery, Denton TX
2012 Society for North American Goldsmiths Exhibition in Motion: Pomp and Swagger, Phoenix AZ
- Clay at Wayne State (A Multi-Generational View), Ellen Kayrod Gallery, Detroit MI
- Wayne State University Student Exhibition, Wayne State University. Detroit MI
2011 Ceramic and Porcelain, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
- LGBT and supporters Invitational, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
- Michigan Mud (honorable mention) student rep. for Wayne State University, Ann Arbor MI
- Dirty Show International Erotic Arts Exhibition, Bert's Warehouse, Detroit MI
2010 LGBT and supporters Invitational, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
- WSU student show (2nd place) Art Department Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
- Praxis, Wayne State University Detroit MI
2009 "Waynemania", Art Department Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
- Detroit Electronic Music Festival Gallery Opener, Russell Industrial Center, Detroit MI
- Detroit Tech Town show, Tech Town Center, Research Corridor, Detroit MI
- "Vagina Show" Bud Gallery, Detroit MI
- LGBT and supporters Invitational, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
- Praxis, Wayne State University Detroit MI
2008 Solo Show Affirmations Gallery LGBT center, Ferndale MI
- LGBT and supporters Invitational, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
2007 LGBT and supporters, Flint Community Arts Council, Flint MI
- Artist of the Year Dearborn City Wide Art Exhibition, Padzieski Art Gallery, Dearborn MI
- Highlights of the Artists Society & Schools of Dearborn, Padzieski Art Gallery, Dearborn MI
Collections
2015 Rotasa Collection Trust U.S.
2010 Wayne State University collection, temporary loan "A Night To Remember" displayed in Presidents Residence, Detroit MI
Permanent display
2010 It Takes a Village, Childrens Hospital of Detroit, Detroit MI
2006 Character Café Mural (collaboration), Starbucks Coffee, Dearborn MI
Curated shows
2016 Co-chair Exhibition in Motion, Society for North American Goldsmiths conference, Asheville NC
2013 Co-curator “Psychic Gold; Body + Object, Body = Object”, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills MI
2009 Co-curator "Tupperware Party, Keeping it Fresh" Russell Industrial Center, Detroit MI
Organizations
2012-present - Queer Caucus for Art
2009-present - Society of North American Goldsmiths
Public lectures
2015 Ritual and the Impotent Adonis, An exploration of fetish, ritual and the presentation and preciousness of masculinity, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn Estonia
2015 Artist talk, Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
2012 "Revisiting the Village" Mid-America College Art Association Conference, Hosted by Wayne State University, Detroit MI
2012 "It Takes A Village" National Conference for Art in Healthcare, Hosted by Childrens Hospital, Detroit MI
2011 "Crafting Identity" Undergraduate Research Conference, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
2009 "Breaking the Mold: a Comprehensive Study of Casting Techniques and Substrates" Undergraduate Research Conference, Wayne State University, Detroit MI
Publications / Catalogues
2013 Materials Hard & Soft catalogued exhibition, Greater Denton Arts Center, Meadows Gallery, Denton TX
Writing
2016 - The Ephemeral Art of Petals Paints and Bods, Art Jewelry Forum
- Who's Afraid of Marjorie Schick, Art Jewelry Forum
- In conversation with Kennedy Magnhild, Art Jewelry Forum
2015 -Contributor for The Best of Munich Jewelry Week 2014, Art Jewelry Forum
2014- Interview: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds Couture Jewelry Designer, TACK Magazine, 2-13-14, Tackmag.com
- The Road to Nolcha, TACK Magazine, 2-11-14, Tackmag.com
- Contributor for The Best of Munich Jewelry Week 2014, Art Jewelry Forum
2011- Writer for Pork and Mead magazine and blog (formally known as WHOA whats happening with original artists) Interviews with:
Renee Cox, Jthree Concepts, Yasutake Kosaka and Ed Chapman
Work activities / Workshops
2015 - Workshop Given, Metalsmithing as Mentality, Vancouver Canada
- Founding Artist for the Pride Flag community project, City street instillation, hosted by Pittman Puckett Gallery, Ferndale MI
2014 -Society for North American Goldsmiths, Co-Chair Conference Student Scholarship Committee
-Society for North American Goldsmiths, Student Ambassador
-Society for North American Goldsmiths, Advisor for fundraising and educational growth
- Assistant to Michelle Pajak-Reynolds, Presenting "Hypatia" Couture Jewelry Collection, New York Fashion week, New York City, NY
2013 - Substitute Teacher Kings Wood Upper School, Specializing in metalsmithing department, Bloomfield Hills MI
- Workshop with Suzanne Pugh, Pewter Working, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Castello Hansen og Manuel Vilhena til at forestå workshoppen HAND ON IMAGINATION. Designmuseum, Copenhagen, Danmark
- Summer Assistant to Christoph Zellweger, Zurich, Switzerland
- Zimmerhoff Schmuck Symposium "Mind Your Language", Bad Rappenau, Germany
- Writer for Art Jewelry Forum, Online Publication
- Workshop with Dineke Blom, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Atended "Schmuck" jewelry events, Munich Germany
- Workshop with Sayumi Yokouchi "Ma: Contemporary Jewelry and the Poetics of Negative Space" CAA, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2012-2014 Laser cutting technician, Cranbrook Academy of Art.
2012 - Koru4 International Jewelry Event, Imatra Finland
- Workshop with Ruudt Peters and Evert Nijland: Afflatus, Imatra Finland
- Workshop with Christoph Zellweger, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Workshop with Masako Onodera, whoolsmithing; felting techniques for jewelers, Tap Studio, Cleveland OH
2011-2013, Apprentice to Bruce Philips master leather craftsman, CEO and Principal of LMR Automotive, Ypsilanti MI. Activities include basic functions of shop and maintenance as well as constructing and executing work of interest to my personal work that includes new learned techniques in traditional leather working. Outside of shop tasks include construction of custom metalsmithed components for client vehicles.
2011 & 2010- Wayne State Art Activities Recipient for metalsmithing. Responsibilities include personal research, maintenance of studio and instructional help to fellow students.
2010- Children's Hospital of Detroit, Detroit MI. Patient project, responsibilities include: transportation and setup of materials, organization of project, maintaining safety of patients.
2009- Voyager Elementary Academy afterschool art program, Detroit MI. Responsibilities include writing of curriculum, safety of students, and maintenance of budget.
2008- 2012Volunteer studio monitor. Responsibilities include mentoring other students, maintaining metal studio in regards to safety and organization. Approximately 10-15 hours a week.
