Artistic Statement

Artistic Statement

Having been raised by my great grandmother who was an Ioway Indian (who'd been married to a Wampanoag) I think of myself as a 'Queer Lineologist.' I have a keen interest in history (especially queer) and how it influences who we are, what art we create and what kind of world we want to make. Much of my work takes place in the early or mid part of the the 20th century when it seemed that more of us still had hope that we might better ourselves and our world. I like to imagine the stories of disparate people (both actual and fictional) and peel back the stamp of the dominant culture to reveal how the characters survive and thrive. Whether it's an imagined moment of indecision in the life of novelist/activist James Baldwin in the 1950s or viewing the world through the perspective of a benevolent vampire who lives for centuries what I find is a wellspring of historical evidence and emotion that gives life to drama. The lives of people of colour are not a singular art form so parts of the dramatic work is comic; and music is always an important thread. Most people of colour do not live in isolation so I'm further drawn to the nexus where people of colour and others interact.