Growing up as an American in the post-9/11 early 2000s, I was bombarded by footage and images of war. I was taught in my classrooms about how powerful and advanced America was and how we could do no wrong. Later on in my education, I learned about the darker side of our country and how it affects us to this day. I learned that this country is capable of great leaps both socially and technologically and great violence against marginalized groups at the same time. Living in Minnesota during the George Floyd protests and Operation Metro Surge further led me to question these two contrasting aspects of American life. Highlighted in this work is a direct comparison between these two aspects. It shows that both the good and the bad are equally a part of the history of America.

 

Featured scenes (Stars): Anti-war Protests, Legalization of gay marriage, Childhood vaccines, the 1990 “Capitol Crawl” protest in support of the ADA, “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr., Loving v. Virginia, and the moon landing.

 

Featured scenes (Stripes): Trail of Tears, Liam Coney Ramos detained by ICE, murder of George Floyd, abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib by US military, Segregation, Slavery, Internment of Japanese Americans during WW2. 

For my work “Muse”, I wanted to capture how I see the person I love.

 

I chose this imagery because I want to show what my eyes see, that this person in front of me is so beautiful and kind.

 

I chose this composition because I wanted to allude to painted portraiture of old and its ability to raise its subjects perceived significance and to elevate the subject in the eyes of the viewer to the same level that see them every day.

The work is a rebuke of the current political landscape where politicians often work for corporate donations rather than the citizens they represent. Featuring the date of the countries founding & the date that Citizens United v FEC was decided, allowing corporations to make donate to politicians.

This animated short explores finding out ones identity in an ever changing world with many different paths to take.

An attack on the destructive-ness of oil production and use.

A commentary on how wind energy is as simple as a child's toy.

This work is apart of a larger series exploring how the the world and experiences in the world can affect how one views their body and how these experiences affect their body.