You are committed to interactive and at the same time beautiful public art. How does public art promote healthy, flourishing and equitable communities?

For me public art creates a sense of place.  It provides opportunities for human connection, reflection and communication. I love the nexus of beauty, health community and human connection. Public art is accessible, open and free to the public.

What are some of your favorite projects you are proud to have been a part of in your career?

I was recently commissioned to create two large-scale mosaics at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. The idea that hundreds of thousands of people will see the work, and hopefully be impacted, is an honor and a privilege. I’m also incredibly proud of 122 Conversations: Person to Person, Art Beyond Borders which had 4500 volunteers and travel to six countries and six venues. It included 82 artworks and had public collaborative elements. This spanned six years and was a significant project for me to develop, implement, and participate in.

Can you tell us a bit more about your social practise project – I Love You Institute?

After the culmination of 122 Conversations, I created the I Love You Institute in 2018. It is an initiative with roots in art and social justice. Resuscitating the power of dialogue and human connection, the work urgently proposes kindness and the ability to say, “I Love You,” as an alternative to division and conflict. Through a series of events, performances, interventions, and workshops, we (myself and my collaborators) are a part of the political movement in contemporary art to resuscitate and normalize relational dialogue and communiticating love and radical kindness.

To what extent does the pandemic influence your depiction of art? Does it generate new inspiration? 

There’s a lot of things we can’t do during the pandemic and there’s a great many we can. I have found possibilities to stretch my practice during this time. I have had a tremendous amount of time to work in the studio, connect with people in different ways, including the Belgrade artist residency and collaborating remotely as part of the Art In Motion artist-in-residence / internship program.

What’s a moment from the last year you’ll always remember? If you’d known that you’d be isolated, what would you have done differently?

When I had Covid in March 2020 I was so eager to create something and do my part to contribute to my community. I created the I love you Institute markers and notebooks which have been widely distributed among my community including with the support of Springboard for the Arts, Artist Respond grant. I would do that again in a heartbeat!

How do you feel about being involved in an online residency program? How important is to stay connected with the international art community?

Staying in connection with an international community is essential to my practice. Covid has  made digital connection even more accessible and I’m really excited to be with this group of international artists that I respect.

What are your thoughts about the theme ‘artist on standby’? Tell us a bit more about your project…

As an artist I am always ready! Standby implies waiting. I am action oriented, hard working and prepared for the future. One of the projects I’m doing for the Belgrade Art Studio Residency is small intimate works on paper about the idea of loss, loneliness, space, and place.

What do you want to achieve before things return to normal?

I have been tremendously busy with commissions, exhibitions, and studio work during Covid. This is my normal and I feel very grateful.

Any future plans/projects?

Indeed, a number of things. I am working on a solo exhibition in September, looking forward to working with Festival Unbound in October, and two other museum exhibitions: Minnespota Marine Art Museum (Winona, MN) 2022 and Rochester Art Center (Rochester, MN) 2023. My I Love You Institute continues to take flight and be impactful in local, regional, national and international venues.