Del Rio Trail Project
Sewing Circles
Cyanotype Collage
60'“x72”
Sewing Circles was commissioned by the City of Sacramento's Office of Arts & Culture as part of the Del Rio Trail Project, an initiative transforming a former railway corridor into a vibrant public trail that reconnects neighborhoods through recreation, nature, and art.
The project was conceived as a collaborative artwork shaped by the community itself. I designed and facilitated a series of free cyanotype workshops at local schools and community venues, inviting participants to gather plants from along the Del Rio Trail and from their own gardens. Through the historic cyanotype process, community members created botanical prints that became the visual vocabulary for this large-scale collage, allowing each participant to leave a lasting mark on the finished piece.
Inspired by the tradition of communal quilt-making, Sewing Circles reimagines city-building through a feminine lens. The work celebrates the countless ways women have always shaped their communities—not only by constructing physical places, but by cultivating beauty, nurturing relationships, sharing knowledge, caring for one another, and strengthening the social fabric that holds neighborhoods together. Layered from hundreds of community-made prints, the artwork reflects the idea that thriving cities are created through collective acts of care as much as through architecture and infrastructure.
For me, public art is most meaningful when the creative process becomes a form of community-building. Sewing Circles demonstrates my commitment to creating participatory experiences that invite people to contribute their own stories, strengthen connections to place, and see themselves reflected in the public spaces they share.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Collaborative Community Drawing, 80”x130”) was created in collaboration with fellow artist Rick Siggins as a large-scale participatory art project celebrating a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Inspired by an engraving by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, the original illustration was divided into a grid, allowing dozens of participants to each recreate a single section by hand. Individually, the drawings represented only fragments of the image; together, they formed a monumental collective artwork that was installed in the theater lobby for the duration of the production.
The project transformed the process of making art into an act of community building. By inviting participants to contribute to a shared creative vision, the installation fostered a sense of ownership and connection to the theatrical production while demonstrating how many individual voices can come together to create something far more powerful than any one person could accomplish alone. Through collaborative projects like this, I seek to strengthen communities by creating opportunities for people to connect, contribute, and see themselves reflected in a larger collective story.
Many Hands, One Portrait
Collaborative Painting, 100”x104”
Created in collaboration with fellow artist Rick Siggins, this large-scale participatory painting honored the legacy of Mexican American artist and educator Adan Romo and his lasting impact on the community. Working from a portrait layered over a vibrant traditional Otomi textile pattern, participants each painted a gridded section of the composition. When assembled, the individual panels formed a striking mosaic-like portrait that celebrated not only one artist's contributions, but also the collective creativity and shared cultural pride of the community that came together to create it.
Celebrating Community Through Music & Art
Collaborative Painting, 100”x132”
Created with co-facilitator Rick Siggins, this large-scale collaborative painting transformed hundreds of individually painted sections into a single image of a concert crowd united in celebration. As participants painted, a playlist of songs they had selected filled the space, creating the same sense of shared energy and connection depicted in the artwork itself. The finished piece celebrates the power of the visual and performing arts to bring people together, foster belonging, and strengthen community through shared creative experiences.
Urban Sunset
Downtown Sacramento Community Collaboration
Created in collaboration with fellow artist Rick Siggins, this large-scale community painting transformed an ordinary downtown Sacramento streetscape into a shared work of art. Using a gridded photograph of one local business as seen through the window of another across the street, local teens each painted a section of the image, revealing how individual perspectives come together to create a richer portrait of place. The finished work celebrates the quiet beauty of everyday moments and the interconnected relationships that give a city its character.
