Art Galleries and Museums where I’ve worked:
· DiverseWorks, Inc. – Houston
· Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas at Austin
· Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Art History, a post-baccalaureate year, and one year of Masters at UT Austin (degree not completed)
Studio art classes at University of Notre Dame and UT Austin – drawing and painting
As an undergrad at University of Notre Dame, I took several studio and art history courses. What captured me was drawing from a live figure and ancient art.
After graduation, my first job was at DiverseWorks, a Houston-based non-profit art and performance space founded by one of my high school art teachers, Charlie Gallagher. I got to install exhibitions, write grant applications, and do general gallery work.
I left Houston for Austin to pursue art and a masters in art history. I took several semesters of studio classes focusing on figure drawing and painting. I was fortunate to study under Peter Saul, Bill Lundberg, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Robert Colescott, and others. In art history, my focus was on ancient Greek art and modern expressionists. This dichotomy may explain (or derive from) my fascination with both the human form and abstraction—a pairing that occasionally comes together in large charcoal drawings. While at UT, I worked at the Huntington Art Gallery in the Exhibition department.
I returned to Houston and worked at the Museum of Fine Arts in the Exhibition department. While working at MFAH, I kept a studio at the Commerce Street Artists Warehouse. I was involved in advocacy against arts censorship and heard a speaker from People for the American Way give a talk about legal issues and protecting artistic expression. My father was a lawyer and in that moment, two worlds came together for me—art and law. That launched me towards law school and First Amendment Law. While in law school, I interned with People for the American Way in D.C. and worked for Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts.
I married, raised two amazing kids, and found myself in a career as an HR executive. I never aimed for, nor expected that, but it’s been a great ride. Throughout, I have continued to make art—often in bursts, when inspiration hits. Now that my children are grown, I have more time to commit to drawing and painting and am exploring new subject matter, media and techniques.