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Art and Design

Before falling in love with philosophy, I envisioned a career as an artist. While my career plans have changed, my love for and practice of art has not.

Scroll on to see examples of my work and learn about how I connect my philosophy, art, and teaching.

Art and Philosophy

Beyond my direct work in the philosophy of art and aesthetics, my philosophical and artistic practice are mutually influential. In my dissertation, I make a case for using art--history, education, insitutions, theories, and practice--as a comparative model for analyzing the discipline and practice of philosophy. I also use my artistic practices of welding and quilting as metaphors for philosophical practice.

Likewise, the art I create is often influenced by philosophical inspiration. I have an ongoing series of painted portraits of philosophers from underrepresented groups. I also have an in-progress quilt that visually represents my work on inclusivity and belonging in philosophy, as well as others that are products of collaborative workshops with other philosopher-artists.

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Explore more of my artwork in the slideshows below.

Process and Materials

The central figure of this tall painting is a mdeium-brown skinned woman with a halo of dark, curly hair. She holds a spear and shield and wears a purple cape with teal and gold armor adorned with the adinkra symbol, nyansapo, the wisdom knot. Flying above her is a large owl with wings spread.

A cream cat with grey paws pulls a blue paintbrush towards her mouth to chew on it instead of letting it be used for its intended purpose.

A wooden mannikin of a hand with the palm painted with a space scene and the wrist iwth a river bank

The Artist's Perspective

Portraits, Pedagogy, and Representation

Sculpture

In my undergraduate Studio Art degree, I specialized in sculpture, particularly welding. While I am not currently able to weld on the scale and frequency of my college days, I do still create small-scale metal, paper-mâché, and mixed media sculptures.

The slideshow to the right includes images from my senior showcase Techne, which was a herd of life-size draft horses crafted from scrap metal and displayed on the front lawn of Converse University, as well as a selection from my recent personal sculpture projects.

Graphic Design

In addition to my physical media artwork, I also design websites and create digital art, including logos, conference posters, and social media images.

Check 'Em Out!

This section features select artists whose gorgeous, creative, impactful work should be seen and celebrated, and/or are an influence on my own artistic style. Usually "and". Click the links to learn more about each artist.