This past year has been one of deepening community connections and expanding national impact. I consider it an honor to work as a visual storyteller with nonprofits, activists and artists that innovate and make the world a more just, sustainable place. I also have a lot of fun!
I created several short films for the National Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York City including this introduction to the event.
Inductees included Sandy Stone, a pioneering feminist audio engineer and founder of transgender studies. Short videos about each inductee played before each award presentation, and I made a bunch of them.
I was hired by the owner of The Dewitt Mall to create a documentary to celebrate the mall’s 50th anniversary, when it was saved from demolition and converted into a thriving mixed-use space. I had the pleasure of interviewing pioneering local entrepreneurs including Winnie Stein, a member of the original Moosewood collective and Jan Rhodes Norman of Ithaca Made who has been a central figure in the Buy Local movement in Ithaca.
As part of my ongoing documentation of Ithaca’s murals (I’ve been working on a feature since 2018), I was hired by Cornell Cooperative Extension to create a video highlighting the Thriving Futures public art project in which numerous artists painted electrical boxes on the themes of sustainability, community and resilience.
When Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services opened a new office of care in Cortland, I created a video showcasing their compassionate, harm-reduction approach featuring staff and peer counselors.
I have been working with Civic Ensemble for several years to film their live performances. Play of Delights, directed by G-Quan Booker and Sarah Plotkin, was an innovative co-production created collectively by local community members and artists in response to Ross Gay’s Book of Delights. I may have shed a few tears while filming because it was so moving and beautiful.
INHS is stewarding two new sculptures that were anonymously gifted to Ithaca celebrating iconic women, Frances Perkins (architect of the New Deal under FDR) and Lucy Brown (co-founder of INHS). I filmed the reveal of the sculptures to the community and recorded sound for the QR code narration available to visitors of the Perkins sculpture.
After making the 20th anniversary video last year, it was thrilling to return to Hospicare’s Women Swimmin’ event with clearer waters to film the event from the ground and from above with my drone. My mother-in-law lived her last days at Hospicare this October, furthering my awe and appreciation of their holistic and loving palliative care.
TC Whole Health hired me to make a documentary about their new COVID resilience mural on the Office of the Aging, featuring philanthropist and educator Millie Clarke-Maynard. It was exciting to film the mural’s creation over several days and to reconnect with visiting artists Britt and Efren who were expecting their new baby when this was filmed (she’s now four months old!)
It was so fun going behind-the-scenes at The Frame Shop to make a new video for their website and ads for social media and Cinemapolis. Our wedding ketubah was framed by them over a decade ago when we lived downtown. This makes me want to make a ton of more “making of” videos – it’s so interesting to see specialized skills and equipment in action.
It’s downright awesome when friends create much-needed third spaces. Danby Food & Drink has become a beloved community institution thanks to intentional curation of local offerings and opportunities to gather over music, games and conversation. The vibes are immaculate and there’s something for everyone.
My local puppet buddies at Lilypad Puppet Theatre took it to the next level this year by hosting an annual convergence of puppeteers from across the Northeast USA including numerous performances, workshops and this delightful Puppet Parade. The sheer scale and silliness is a sight to behold and I couldn’t resist some slow motion giant puppet sequences 🙂
In the last month’s of 2024, I started working with another old friend Amie Hamlin, who runs the Coalition for Healthy School Food, which brings plant-based whole foods into public schools. Each month for eight months, we’re visiting schools around NY where vegan recipes are being made and tested by real students! The videos are being featured in webinars with Food Service Directors around the country along with live Q&As with school chefs and nutrition experts. A lot of kids connect with the issue of climate change and get excited about plant-based eating as a way to take action.
Graphic design continues to be a love of mine. This year, I worked with Caleb R. Thomas of Ithaca Murals to create an interactive brochure about Ithaca Murals that is being distributed widely with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Board of Tompkins County. You can pick up a copy at the Downtown Visitors’ Center and do the scavenger hunt to get a free sticker!
I created graphics and this book cover for Civically Engaged Districts Project, a collaboration of Rutgers Graduate School of Education and Teachers’ College at Columbia University. I am using some of the methodology in my own homeschool coop where we are empowering the kids to explore issues relevant to them and to take meaningful action in the form of theatre, zine-making and direct action.
I designed the posters for the Black Consciousness Film Series at the State Theatre, curated by long-time collaborator Dr. Nia Nunn. This poster for Summer of Soul was a treat to create as I’m a huge fan of the documentary and of Questlove, the film’s Director. I brought my 11-year-old to another film in the series, Stamped from the Beginning, which should be required viewing for all Americans.
For over a decade, I’ve designed the graphic identity for T’ruah’s annual gala in NYC which honors Rabbis and other advocates at the forefront of human rights struggles.
Have I mentioned that I have the coolest friends? My buddy McKenzie (whose day job is consulting with cooperatives and empowering artists and creatives) is the front woman of Strange Heavy and this year I created the band’s logo and album design for their latest release (featuring photos by another friend, Sara Tro). You may have also seen me filming live sets for The FMs and Silver Rein – I do love live music and have been known to lead a good sing-a-long.
This year, I got a grant from Community Arts Partnership for a documentary about iconic queer, feminist publisher Firebrand Books and the fight to get a historical placard honoring its legacy on the Ithaca Commons. I’ve completed primary filming, including interviews with Nancy K. Bareano, Founder of Firebrand and Jeffry Iovannone who worked together get the placard approved and installed, author Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For, Fun Home), and with the curator of Cornell University’s Human Sexuality Collection, which houses Firebrand’s archive. Stay tuned for screenings and festival in 2025!
And finally, you may have seen my alter ego “Rainbow Fabulosity” on the streets during Ithaca Festival or the Downtown Pride Parade. I made this giant puppet at my friend Lily’s workshop.
Over the summer and fall, I shot and edited a series of ten videos for Sustainable Tompkins’ Finger Lakes Climate Fund. The fund enables people to offset their carbon use from travel and home energy use by making a monetary donation. The money then gets distributed to low-to-moderate income individuals and families in the form […]
Here’s my latest client video, a short documentary about Kathy Lucas and her unique hybrid of jazz dance and fitness instruction. Kathy is an innovative and empowering teacher and another reason why Ithaca is such an amazing place. When putting together the film my goals were to: Introduce people to the steel club as an […]
For about a year now, I’ve been working on a film about Ithaca’s public murals with an emphasis on pieces with social justice and multicultural themes. I completed a half-hour rough cut that screened at last year’s Ithaca Festival and have since been working on expanding the film to feature-length. A few weeks ago I […]
