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The purpose of this project is to analyze Aristotle’s account of political degeneration in Politics, with a focus on his explanation of civil conflict, particularly the concept of stasis. It examines why even well-ordered states decline, what causes political degeneration, and whether such decline is inevitable or the result of specific institutional or moral failures. This project offers a philosophical treatment of Aristotle’s views on conflict, dissension, and civil war in Greek societies. While primarily interpretive, the project will evaluate whether what he says has contemporary relevance in relation to the problem of political stability and conflict prevention.

While Aristotle’s account of stasis in Book V of the Politics has been widely analyzed by scholars of Greek history and political thought, it has not been similarly explored within the field of ancient philosophy. I will review the current limited literature on stasis, and works such as Ernest Barker’s The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle which comment on ancient political thought more broadly. I will use this information to understand predominant discussions about Aristotle and stasis, and then provide a detailed analysis to give people a better understanding of Aristotle’s Book V of the Politics.

This project explores the transformation of Colorado mountain towns as amenity migration erodes local ethos, architecture, and character. By contrasting mining-era vernacular design with luxury developments through plein-air painting work, I will highlight the aesthetic shift from resident-centric to tourist-focused environments. Through interviews and journalistic entries, the project critiques the short-term rental crisis and the disparity between the cost of living and the Area Median Income (AMI). Synthesized into an exhibition, book, or digital platform, this body of work documents the unique identity of these rural communities while exposing the modern developmental struggles reshaping life in small-town Colorado.

Drawing on Justin Farrell’s "Billionaire Wilderness", this project analyzes the shifting culture of Colorado mountain communities, specifically how an influx of ultra-wealthy residents adopts rural aesthetics to perform a specific identity. Lucy Lippard’s "The Lure of the Local" provides a psychogeographical framework of the importance of art in the sense of place. My project will build upon these ideas, drawing upon my experience painting the natural and built environment throughout my Colorado upbringing. By studying these built environments, this creative project will highlight the structural move from a local, production-based economy toward one defined by tourism and consumption.

This project examines why the United States fetishizes Japan and South Korea while demonizing China by analyzing shifts in American political, cultural, and media discourse. It argues that Cold War–era propaganda, U.S. strategic alliances, and cultural commodification has reshaped public memory, obscuring negative aspects of Korea and Japan, while casting China as a persistent communist threat. I'll be using propaganda, media analysis, popular culture trends, and original survey data, to reveal how these perceptions persist today. The benefit of this project is that it prompts a more historically grounded and nuanced understanding of East Asia, while exposing American sinophobia.

Scholarship on U.S. perceptions of East Asia has largely developed along separate national lines. This project's comparative approach analyzes negative perceptions of China in direct conjunction with the positive fetishization of Japan and Korea, rather than treating them in isolation. By tracing how U.S. propaganda, Cold War alliances, and popular culture have jointly shaped a hierarchical East Asian imaginary, the project contributes a more integrated explanation of contemporary American attitudes toward East Asia.

This project investigates how flooding physically and emotionally reshapes inland mountain communities. After Hurricane Helene flooded my hometown of Asheville, NC, I began questioning the assumption that inland regions are protected from climate disasters and sought to examine how such events leave lasting traces in communities and landscapes. Through fieldwork in Asheville, NC and Johnson, VT, I will document material evidence of flooding—warped floors, sediment lines, damaged objects—while recording oral histories to understand how these remnants shape memory, attachment, and belonging. This research will culminate in a tactile installation exhibited in the ENVD Gallery and later in Asheville, NC.

This project draws from socially-engaged art and memory studies to connect people’s lived experiences of flooding with the spaces and materials that surround them. It draws on work such as Carolina Caycedo’s Water Portraits, which frame water as a living agent rather than a resource. In my past work, I have combined textiles, cyanotype, and architectural elements to create immersive environments. With a background in installations and community-engaged design, I work experimentally and collaboratively. In this project I will specifically contribute to a growing area of climate storytelling by amplifying the voices of inland communities often overlooked in environmental narratives.