I have a Master’s degree in Restorative Justice and have been working in the field for 25 years, developing and directing a Victim Offender Dialogue Program, a Parent Teen Mediation Program, a Family Reentry Meetings Program and a University RJ Program. In addition, I provide trainings, facilitation and consultation.

I’m also a fiber artist, continually experimenting with applying new techniques while using up-cycled and discarded materials. Along with making art, I teach art workshops, bringing opportunities for rewarding creative expression to my students.

For me, my RJ work and my art are interwoven. While facilitating RJ meetings, I have the honor of guiding people through a process that can bring about incredible transformation and healing for those involved. This concept of transformation is also reflected in my artwork, where I re-purpose materials in order to manifest this desire to bring out the beautiful possibilities of change, even when it isn’t apparent at first glance.

In addition, my art and RJ both focus on including rather than discarding. RJ focuses on weaving people back into the community after harm has been caused. And, my artwork focuses on re-using items that are were once discarded or no longer wanted. Both RJ and art focus on hope and on the amazing power of transformation.

In this particular piece, I created both symmetry and asymmetry, both straight lines and curving lines, all with many layers that were gradually developed through the creative process. This is metaphorical with the Restorative Justice process in several ways. While RJ facilitators have a basic script to follow (the straight lines), we learn to facilitate in ways that go far beyond the script (the curving lines), to bring about the most productive and transformative dialogue possible. And, while parts of the incident and impact may seem straight forward (symmetrical), there are always more layers (asymmetrical) that get peeled away and discovered during the intake and dialogue process.

The process used for making this piece includes adhering fabric to wood, embellishing it with many layers of fabric, and adding extending shapes.

I hope viewers of my art will feel inspired to be creative in their own lives, and to see the possibilities for self-expression in the world around them. I see art as a beautiful and effective way to balance out some of the stresses in life, and to restore ourselves on a regular basis. Art also brings the community together, as does RJ, to look at what’s there and at what can be. So, I hope others will give themselves the gift of having creative, restorative time.

Please feel free to contact me for taking online fiber art workshops, commissions and purchasing art.