2025

2025 was a year of opportunity, marked by fellowships, mentorship, and community-led research. A major pivot occurred in my pottery practice; moving away from isolate, one-off classes and solitary trial-and-error, I entered into a formal apprenticeship with Catawba potter Elizabeth Harris. This deep mentorship provided the technical fundamentals to launch a critical, community-led scientific research initiative funded by the Native Arts + Cultures Foundation LIFT Award. This project engaged a cohort of nine Catawba potters in blind testing ancestral temper alternatives to the depletion of our community’s traditional pan clay source.

My basketry practice expanded with equal intensity. As a recipient of the Running Strong for American Indian Youth Dreamstarter Award, I began a specialized apprenticeship under Nansemond basketweaver Desmond Ellsworth, focusing on advanced plaited methodologies such as diagonal twill and double-wall construction. True to the reciprocal nature of my practice, this grant simultaneously funded my role as an instructor, enabling me to pass on these techniques directly to emerging makers within my own Tribal community.

My trajectory as an arts advocate and culture bearer was further accelerated on a regional and national scale. I was named a National Arts Futures Fellow by South Arts, engaging with an elite cohort of BIPOC arts leaders to shape the future of cultural equity. This year’s intensive momentum concluded with the receipt of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations Walking Together Grant, solidifying a year of immense growth, institutional recognition, and dedicated cultural preservation.