I would like to dedicate my thesis first and foremost to my mother, whom I love with all of my heart. You got us through everything and from you I learned more than strength and more than resilience. I learned that vulnerability, love, nurturing, intuition, emotion—all these things our society has called ‘feminine’ and therefore ‘weak’—make you and I the powerful people we are. I would also like to dedicate this to my sibling Elliot, for helping me survive childhood, even when I was determined to jump out of windows and snack on random mushrooms I found in the backyard. Thank you for surviving all of the heartache and all of the pain even when it felt unbearable. I love you and will always be there for you. And even if this seems strange, I would like to dedicate my thesis to my dearly departed cat, Marie Antoinette (Annie). You were such a loving and sensitive little soul, and your unconditional love and radiant warmth and patience helped me to heal a lot these past four years. I love you with everything I have. You will always be my girl.
I would like to thank Professor Betsey Garand who pushed me but in the most encouraging and nurturing way possible. You were a great support through this emotionally taxing process, and I will always appreciate how you encouraged me to advocate for myself. You show me that kindness and fierceness make for an unbelievably powerful person, and I hope to be that someday. You were so unbelievably kind to me, and you were exactly what I needed this year. (And thank you for giving me that little doll’s crib. It turned into one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made!) So thank you. I would also like to thank Professor Douglas Culhane who gave me so much advice, support, kindness and encouragement even though you weren’t even one of my advisors. I learned so much from you. I appreciate how gentle and kind you always were to me, which made it easier and easier to talk about my process and the experiences behind my work. And I really, really appreciate your willingness to talk to me about cats and goats and other little critters!
I would like to thank Professor Carol Keller for seeing merit in even my most outlandish ideas and experiments, and Professor David Gloman for imparting your energy and vigor on me. I had a slow start but your “get in there and do it” encouragement got me over that slump. I want to thank Professor Suzanne Dougan for being my mentor for two and half years now, and for helping me discover the poeticism in my work. I’ve come to understand my creative process so much more under your guidance. I’ve learned to trust my eye and my instincts. You taught me how to trust myself again. You make me feel inspired, emboldened, determined, confident, and reassured all at once. I can’t tell you how much I value everything you’ve given me.
I want to thank my partner, Navin Sundaramurthy, for being the best friend I’ve ever had these past eight years. Thank you for loving me and being patient with me through everything, even when I thought I didn’t deserve love. You are the light of my life and I love you. Thank you Sophina Flores, my creative soulmate, for opening me up to my emotions freshman year and making me feel brave and safe enough to talk about my trauma. In many ways you are my opposite, so you challenge me to grow and I appreciate it (even when it seems I don’t!). I love you and can’t wait to make more art with you.