ABOUT
My work base on aspects of critical play that critique, subvert, and explore alternatives to the misunderstood immigration experiences, especially in this period of extreme turbulence as borders between lands are continually being disputed. I recognize identity discourses as pivotal in theorizing the development and implementation of digital spaces that continue to defy political, social, and/or cultural convention around the topics of emigration, immigration, and migration. I explore the depths of this universal yet intimate experience as it manifests into social and economic inequalities and hostile minority representation. I work to resolve the constant debates that our country is in over who should get to stay and who should not, both in the abstract and in the literal sense of our borders.
I have been honored with a few design awards: the Indigo Design Award, the Graphic Design USA Award, and the Creative Quarterly Design Award. My work has been shown at the AIGA Design Conference, AIGA DEC Symposium, the Institute for Art and Innovation in Berlin, Germany, the University of Texas at Tyler, and the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences. I have lectured and presented on user-centered design approach nationally and internationally through AIGA, United Designs Alliance, and locally at SLO UX Fest and SLO Hacks Lite. I have also developed several art and design workshops, reflecting upon the diversity or lack thereof in the field, one of which was awarded the competive CSU + Adobe Literacy Initiative Grant in 2020.
My curriculum vitae can be found here.
CLIENTS & FRIENDS
New York City Historical Districts Council, National Institute for Early Education Research & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NYU De-cruit, Learning Ally, Starbucks, Stand, Grow More Foundation, Earth Law Center, Community Legal Defense Fund, Cascade Forest.
Rough drafts/early design iterations for the GLBT+ Historical Society Museum in San Francisco.
STUDENT AWARDS
I enjoy helping my students win competitive industry awards, especially in Interaction Design and Packaging Design, two of my areas of interest. In turn, my students have responded enthusiastically and rewarded me with their excellent accomplishments year after year. Most recently, my students Emma Wannon and Coby Chuang from ART 437 Graphic Design Studio III won the Second place and People’s Choice award at the Paperboard Packaging Alliance’s 2023 National Student Design Competition, taken place in San Diego last October.
For a complete list of my student awards, please visist my teaching page.
WHAT I AM READING
I am reading Glitch Feminism and Queer Abstraction in Comtemporar Art, the former was recommended to me by my good friend, Amanda Stojanov. These texts are not light, so sometimes I take a break to read some Junji Ito. I have my recommendations of which collection of his to read first, if you are new to the genre, and would love to share if you are interested. I don’t know what I will read next after him because I have read all of the ones in the category it seems like, such as Confession, Grotesque, and the likes. I haven’t finished the Ring triology so maybe I would get back to that.
WHERE ELSE
My work is currently on view at The School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts and the Institute for Applied Creativity at Texas A&M University’s Aberrant Creativity Exhibition from November 28 - December 21, 2023.
You can my find me in my garden doing things to my succulents when it is warm outside. if it is cold, I am inside keeping my cat entertained or maybe I am playing video games. I also post fun things on Dribbble, Instagram, and LinkedIn.