2026 Open Air Summer Residency

In partnership with Rocky Mountain Gardens and the University of Montana.

During my summer residency with Open Air, I explored ideas of collectivity, interdependence, and what it might mean for humanity to progress through cooperation rather than individualism. Drawing from Indigenous worldviews and the understanding that humans are deeply connected to one another and to the natural world, I used painting, wood work, character development, and world-building to imagine futures rooted in community, care, and mutual responsibility. My work considers how these values could shape the ways we live, create, consume, and relate to the land.

Throughout the residency, I developed my creative research through independent studio work, a public presentation, and a community embroidery workshop at Rocky Mountain Gardens. The workshop resulted in a collaborative textile work, People’s Garden, created through the contributions of community members. I concluded the residency by presenting my work as part of a group exhibition at Brunswick Gallery, bringing together my research, creative practice, and the collaborative spirit that shaped the residency.