I create oversized pop-up books that combine my photography with pop-up paper engineering. I am intrigued by how an object so compact and intimate can magically reveal a playful, multidimensional scene. My ongoing series entitled We are Tiger Dragon People is a series of photographic pop-up books about China’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minority groups. Although I was born in New Jersey, in my mid-twenties I went to China to teach English and learned there that my mother is a member of the Black Nuosu Yi tribe. Learning about my Yi ancestry and living in China inspired me to formally study photography and become an artist. Constructing pop-ups allows me to combine intuitive design and engineering acuity with my commitment to share stories and promote diversity. With my books, I overlap boundaries between people, the book, installation, photography, craft, and sculpture.
