Love Letters to the Animals I Know

My thesis project focuses on using visual arts practice and storytelling to represent more-than-human animals traditionally categorized as “livestock.” Through volunteer work and relationship building at a farm sanctuary, and respectful creative processes, I am strengthening interspecies friendships and encouraging more empathetic connections with more-than-human animals. Integrating critical animal studies, empathy studies, storytelling, drawing and printmaking methods, I aim to inspire others to reconsider their relationships with commonly recognized farm animals such as sheeps, gooses, pigs, cows and chickens, and recognize them as unique individuals with agency and inherent value. I value my relationships with the animals who inspire my artwork. First and foremost, my practice is rooted in sincere love.