Glitter and Grass

My work explores the tensions that shape our surroundings: permanence and instability, excess and restraint, the natural and the manufactured. Through tactile processes such as weaving, sewing, dyeing, and beading, I bring contrasting materials into conversation. In Glitter and Grass, natural fibers meet the synthetic shine of party decor and decorative ribbon, allowing conflicting qualities to coexist and create moments of harmony without forcing resolution.

For this exhibition, I draw from the layered landscape of South Florida, where wilderness and opulence exist side by side. As a Miamian, I reflect on our uneven relationship with the Everglades, a landscape that sustains the region, yet is continually asked to give more than it receives. Inspired by the estuaries along the South Florida coast, where freshwater from the River of Grass merges with the saltwater of Florida Bay, I incorporate glistening beads to trace these waterways and dye fibers with sea grape leaves, a salt-tolerant shrub native to coastal habitats.

By weaving together the shimmer of the wetland with the artificial shine of celebratory materials, the work forms a meeting point between natural systems and human intervention, where celebration, consumption, and ecology intersect. The piece invites viewers to consider how environments shaped by contradiction might still allow for balance, care, and coexistence.