Darn It Darla!

Thrilled to have written and collaborated with my long time friend and the very talented Walid Chaya, on this dark comedy, “Darn It Darla.” So far the film has been featured in the following festivals;

Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Winner, People’s Choice Award, Best Comedy Short, 2025
Love Wins International Film Festival, Winner, Best Comedy Short, 2025
Central Coast International Film Festival, Winner, Best Male Director, 2025
Folkstone Film Festival, Honorable Mention, Best Comedy Short, 2025
World of Women Fair Mid-East Film Festival, Finalist, Best Comedy Short, 2025
Richmond International Film Festival, Official Selection, 2025
New York Istanbul Short Film Festival, Official Selection, 2025
Hollywood Arab Film Festival, Official Selection, Best Comedy Short, 2025
Indo Dubai International Film Festival, Official Selection, 2025
Central Coast International Film Festival, Official Selection, 2025
IndieX Film Festival, Outstanding Achievement Award, Dark Comedy Short, 2024
Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, Nominee, Best Dark Comedy, 2024

Pollinators Parade, 2022 Art in the Loop Project: Sustainable

The Pollinators Parade took place at Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park, Downtown Kansas City, Missouri as part of 2022 Art in the Loop Project: Sustainable. The participatory performance centered honeybees and native pollinators in the Kansas City area. Pollinating animals are threatened due to loss of habitat, chemical misuse, introduced and invasive plant and animal species, and diseases and parasites. The U.S. has lost over 50% of its managed honeybee colonies over the past 10 years.

Special thanks to Brett Creason and MO Hives KC for joining us to discuss how to support local pollinators. MO Hives KC puts bee hives on vacant urban lots, creating bee farms that pollinate nearby food gardens, while invigorating the community with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities.

Flight at Artspace 304

Flight was an interactive shadow puppetry exhibition that took place at Artspace 304  in the Neil and Mary Ellen Dillard Media and Performance Gallery. During the pandemic, as I was home more, I became increasingly attached to the birds who shared my garden. I found comfort in the companionship of these avain compagions. The work of American poet Emily Dickinson spoke to me. Dickinson shared my love of solitude and birds. During her lifetime, she produced some 1,800 poems. 222 of those poems made reference to birds. Apart from her 150 uses of the word “bird,” she names the robin (38 times), the bobolink (12), the sparrow (9), the jay (7), the hummingbird (5), the crow and oriole (4), the wren (3), the blackbird (2) and the bluebird, the phoebe, the owl, and the nightingale. For me, each of these birds was a meditation; on Dickinson’s text, on the exquisite beauty of each bird, and the singular and fleeting nature of our interactions. Creating this piece was an opportunity for me to reflect on and bask in the beauty around me. Crafting each piece came from a place of stillness, of being present and attuned to these ephemeral meetings. I hope this installation speaks to visitors of the wild and wondrous winged creatures with whom they share brief and beautiful moments.

Click here for more information about Artspace 304.

Writer-in-Residence in Steelville, MO

Thanks so much to the Steelville Arts Council for letting me stay in the Cottage!  I appreciated having the time to write in such a cozy environment.

The town of Steelville has a very cute downtown.

Furthermore, I appreciated the opportunity to visit a variety of state parks and historical sites while I was in the area including:  Dillard Mill Historic Site, Elephant Rocks State Park, Johnson’s Shut-in’s State Park, Meramec State Park, Meramec Springs State Park, and Onondaga Cave State Park.

Onelove

Thank you to Onelove for having me as an artist-in-residence this past month.  I really appreciated  this opportunity to engage with creatives in New Orleans and to explore and learn more about the Crescent City.

 

 

Here are some collages I created while in residence at Onelove.