Opening Reception: Crazy!

January 10–February 8, 2026

BAU Gallery

506 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508

CRAZY: curated by Jaime Ransome

Zine-Making Workshop & Music Exchange: Saturday, January 24, 4–7 p.m.

Open Mic Night: Saturday, January 31, 7–9 p.m.

It was a wild night (I had to work an event in Albany and then drive to Beacon). The gallery was packed! The show looks amazing. It is so hard to describe the feeling of walking into a reception, the nerves, the excitement, the curiosity, and pride; it is really overwhelming.

Especially this show. The theme of the show felt like it was made for me and my work. It felt so good to be surrounded by other artists' work that conveyed similar messages, yet was so different.

I never expected to show any of my pieces from Out of Your Control again.

In college, I created a series of 21 self-portraits with scans from my journals dating back to 2007. The center page was something significant that someone had said to me, which stuck with me. Some good, some bad.

The first time I showed them was my senior year of college. I was lucky enough to make a connection with a local photography enthusiast who had a little gallery/museum/ shop. He had hosted the student photography regional and asked if I had more than the four pieces I submitted. I told him I had 21, spoke about the project more, and he said he wanted to have a show with all of them, "larger than life". As a business major with a minor in photography, I was not included in the senior showcase. So this felt very validating to have my own celebration.

The journal entries were not edited. All of the names and events were there, for everyone to read. My feelings, prayers, fears, and accounts of abuse. My parents were never supportive of my art, and as a punishment when I was younger, they would often try to take my journals, throw them out, or read them to hold my thoughts against me. If I put them out for all the world to see, they wouldn't have any power over me. During the opening reception, you couldn't fit anyone else into the gallery. So many of my classmates came to show their support. My mother and father also came. My mom stood back, my dad pushed his way to get as close as possible, and my classmates all watched as he read every single entry. Most of the negative quotes in the center were things that he had said to me. So seeing strangers read my journals did cause some stress.

The stress was heavly outweighted by the pride and joy I felt to see my paintings on the wall nearby. When I created the Out of Your Control series, I was young, I felt broken, and alone.

I felt trapped by my major, by what I was expected to do, by trying to be what everyone wanted me to be, so that maybe they would love me.

Painting freed me from that. I started as a photographer because (as a child) I had adults tell me that I "wasn't good" at drawing. "You should try photography, the camera does most of the work".

After college, I felt free. I had my whole life ahead of me, and I could do whatever I wanted.

Once I started painting, I started to become who I always knew I was.

I finally had the courage to come out. I didn't let fear of other people's judgment stop me from speaking my mind, standing up for what I believe in, and creating the work that I felt I had to make.

As uncomfortable as I felt in the moment, seeing people reading my journals and them looking at me, realizing that the photos were of me, I am so thankful, because that body of work really helped me to take charge of my life, it helped me to get where I am now, and I am so thankful. I didn't think life could be this beautiful.

Thank you so much to BAU, and Jaime for including my work in this incredible exhibition. I am honored to show my work alongside so many incredible artists. Please check out the work before it comes down.