As an artist specializing in virtual art and a cultural technology hacker, I explore the relationship between people, place, and technology. I aim to create innovative experiences that make virtual reality accessible, helpful, and usable to a broader audience. The creation of virtual worlds is an art that challenges and enriches me. This challenge also fuels my love for teaching virtual placemaking. I work with creative technologists, institutional partners, and the public to create and program immersive virtual worlds for impact and immersion.
I am a designer who analyzes emerging use patterns of new media technologies in the lives of everyday people. Whether training 70+ museum staff in prototyping virtual worlds with recycled materials or facilitating multidisciplinary design processes for violence prevention in conflict zones, I have experience leading diverse stakeholders in complex design contexts. Having worked with NGOs and government agencies, I have honed skills in project management, agile tactics, and resource mobilization.
I spent the first years of my professional life as a social scientist studying conflict, development, and creative communities of practice in Central America. As a Fulbright Scholar, I researched how hip-hop artists leveraged institutional resources in response to gang violence in urban Honduras. I am passionate about better understanding people's lives, stories, and compelling concerns. I hold participation and observation as the best tools for researching what matters most in the everyday lives of people, places, and products.
