ABOUT

I specialize in environmental graphic design and public art with strong focus on utilizing design thinking and creative problem solving skills to provide quality results. My research interests explore the built urban environment and how communities express their unique, collective identities through infrastructure, architecture, signage, public art, and other forms of human-centered and designed urban spaces. 

As an academic and educator, I am actively engaged in the pursuit of continued education in a number of creative fields to maintain a robust interdisciplinary practice. I am committed to bringing a broad understanding and enthusiasm for art, design, and emergent trends and technology to the classroom. ​

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EDUCATION

MFA in Graphic Design, University of Memphis, 2023
BFA in Studio Art, Summa Cum Laude, University of Memphis, 2012

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WORK
​ EXPERIENCE

Project Designer, Loaded for Bear, 2024-Present
Graphic Designer, Frank Balton Sign Company, 2013-2024
Graduate Assistant, Art Museum of the University of Memphis, 2022
Mural Assistant Intern, UrbanArt Commission, Memphis, TN, 2012

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TEACHING
​EXPERIENCE

Visiting Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, University of Memphis Department of Art and Design, Memphis, TN, Fall 2023- Spring 2024 

• Typographic Design I, Computer Assisted Graphic Design, Image Design, Writing & Design Process

Graduate Teaching Assistant of Graphic Design, University of Memphis Department of Art and Design, Memphis, TN, Fall 2022-Spring 2023

• Typographic Design I ​​

Private Mentorship (Youth Age Group), Memphis, TN, Summer 2024

• Foundations of Art and Design, weekly lecturing of a custom teaching program for independent lessons, creative briefs, and feedback.

​​Guest Lecturer (Workshop), University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, February 2024

• Handmade Media for Graphic Design, a workshop on combining traditional, handmade media into digital practices with additional emphasis on composition and typography.

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MEMBERSHIPS

2023-Present
International Sign Association, Frank Balton Sign Co.
Mid-South Sign Association, Frank Balton Sign Co.
World Sign Association, Frank Balton Sign Co.

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AWARDS & 
​DISTINCTIONS

2022-2023
Graduate Assistantship, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

2022
​Ford Motor Company Endowment to the University of Memphis Department of Art and Design, University of Memphis​, Memphis, TN

2021-2022
Graduate Scholarship, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN​

2018
2018 MSSA Sign Design Competition, 100+ Square Feet Category, Mid-South Sign Association, Awarded for the Beale Street Archway signage in Memphis, TN

​2016
2016 MSSA Sign Design Competition, Wall Sign Category, Mid-South Sign Association, Awarded for Mellow Mushroom signage in Olive Branch, MS

2008-2012
Communication and Fine Arts Visual Scholarship, University of Memphis
Steve Metheny Scholarship Foundation, Mid-South Sign Association
Tennessee Hope Scholarship, Tennessee Board of Education

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​University Outreach

​2022
Ford Motor Company - Endowment for the University of Memphis Department of Art and Design, I cultivated a partnership between the global marketing team of Ford Motor Company and University of Memphis for a 25 square foot public sculpture for the Blue Oval City plant in Stanton, TN. This led to a successful partnership between Ford and University of Memphis, through which an endowment was made to the Department of Art and Design and a subsequent course integration into the curriculum that resulted in an interdisciplinary course between studio art and graphic design students. Students were given the opportunity to participate in drafting proposals for a corporate design initiative and work with a community-driven selection committee of artists hired from the surrounding geographic area until a final design was selected at the end of term. 

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Scholarship Activity

2023
Volunteer Design Consultant, University of Memphis Department of Art and Design. Provided manufacture and install guidance for a 25 square foot brand-driven sculpture designed by University of Memphis graphic design and studio art students. Served alongside a diverse group of selection committee members, students, and Ford global marketing team members to provide feasibility insights and creative feedback.

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