Who I am:

I am a visual artist and printmaker specializing in mezzotint and traditional intaglio processes on copper. My current body of work is rooted in ancestral labor history and the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of extractive industry. My Polish ancestors immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 19th century and worked in coal mines tunneled into the distinctive Anthracite veins which run along the Appalachian Mountain range. In my 25 years spent in Pennsylvania, I became increasingly interested in the lasting impact of mining on affected land and surrounding communities. This has driven my creative process for the last decade. I received my BFA from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and worked as Assistant in Printmaking at Bucknell University from 2018-2020. In 2024 I received my MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was an Artist in Residence at Guttenberg Arts in West New York during the fall of 2020 and at Atelier Circulaire in Montréal in June of 2023, both of which offered the space, time and equipment needed to engage with this labor-intensive practice and develop this body of work. When I am not working in the studio I enjoy cycling, hiking and reading.

My Fulbright grant focuses on:

During my Fulbright grant period, I will produce a series of mezzotint prints with mentorship from Christopher Nowicki, Professor of Printmaking, at The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. To fuel this body of work, I will visit and gather visual source material from pit mining sites and impacted towns in Lower and Upper Silesia. I will continue my research of places affected by extractive industry, expand upon my technical training as a mezzotint printmaker and broaden my professional artistic practice by engaging with the robust printmaking community of Poland.

I decided to apply for a Fulbright grant because:

I have been interested in coming to Poland for several years, having noticed many incredible printed works from Polish artists at international exhibitions, and being of Polish descent myself. I wanted to continue this body of work and research in Poland, where large-scale extraction of black and brown coal is still the primary fuel source for electricity, and there are many active pit mining operations. I am especially interested in former mining cities like Katowice that have reemerged as cultural and creative hubs and want to contribute to this happening in other places by spreading awareness of this pressing, cross-cultural environmental issue.

After completing my Fulbright grant I would like to:

After completing my Fulbright grant, I will return to Bisbee, Arizona, another former mining community in the United States, and set up a community printmaking studio with two arts colleagues. Looking out five years, our goal is to host international and domestic artist residencies in which the studio team and I offer access to equipment and technical support towards a visiting artist’s proposed project. The connections I will make with international artists based in Wroclaw will help to actualize this vision, as we collectively establish studio, residency, and exhibition exchanges.