I was raised in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville KY. Not a product of means by any
stretch, a culmination of hard work and luck has allowed me to graduate from some of the best
educational institutions available and gain worldwide recognition for my work in glass sculpture, culture
collecting, archiving, and community education.
I obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Berea College in May 2015, with a Major
concentration in Popular Culture and a Minor in Communication. In May of 2021 I will have completed a Master's degree in Popular Culture and a Graduate Certificate in Public History from Bowling Green State University and will enter the PhD program in American Cultural Studies. This will be the culmination
of over 20 years experience culture archiving, preservation, and production. Since 2000 I have
collected, produced, and released nearly 50 regional music collections under the name Louisville
is for Lovers. These collections have been included in public and private archives including the Louisville Free Public Library, the University of Louisville Music Archive, Berea College Sound Archive, and Western Kentucky University Archive, and has been
delivered around the world to 6 continents including Antarctica. Additionally, I have studied film
photography for 3 years at the University of Louisville and Columbia College in Chicago,
Illinois.
I have also produced special audio programming for both radio and podcasts including programming for NPR affiliate WFPK in Louisville, Ky, and the BBC World Service. From 2011-2015, I worked as a Sound Archive Associate and audio engineer archiving audio files, creating educational guides & curriculum, and producing audio Educational podcasts on regional and historical music, including a 5 hour multi-chaptered podcast on Appalachian folk music called Celebrated Sounds.
I have also produced special audio programming for both radio and podcasts including programming for NPR affiliate WFPK in Louisville, Ky, and the BBC World Service. From 2011-2015, I worked as a Sound Archive Associate and audio engineer archiving audio files, creating educational guides & curriculum, and producing audio Educational podcasts on regional and historical music, including a 5 hour multi-chaptered podcast on Appalachian folk music called Celebrated Sounds.
I continually collaborate with creative professionals toward cultural archiving including my work at the Bowling Green State University Browne Popular Culture Library were I have created several digital exhibits and learning guides including a 9 stop audio walking tour of historically significant events and locations. I have also created the Northwest Ohio Independent Culture Archive that has a collection of hundreds of regional music fliers, histories, and ephemera of the greater Northwest Ohio region. Other projects include a 38 slide digital exhibit covering over 50 years of women in the political spotlight featuring 120 items from the Browne Popular Culture Library collection, as well as an hour long lecture on the collection for the National First Ladies Library. In the summer of
2013, I paired with Magnolia Photobooth on a grant from Berea College on a 3,000 mile archival
tour of the southern Appalachian region, documenting subcultures through a Photographic
collection called A Portrait Of Appalachia. In the summer of 2014, I worked with Guestroom
Records in Louisville, KY to capture music in 3 distinct genres (Hip Hop, Pop, and Roots) music
in the city. Some of these collections are also in private and public archives including the Berea
College Archive and the Louisville Free Public Library.
After 2 decades working on archiving and education in culture in various mediums including Audio Collections, documentary films, still photograph collections, radio and podcast programs, and print formats, I continue chasing my passion for culture collection and education.
Skills & Experience:
Substantial skills in audio/visual/analytical archiving in cultural areas. Over 20 years in experience in curating and archiving musical and cultural genres. Over 10 years experience as a journalist creating critical reviews of culture and cultural events. Over 15 years experience in producing, managing and updating social media related projects. Over 5 years experience in library and audio archival work. Over 20 years experience in curating and producing art and music events, albums, and archival collections.
I have substantial experience in creating and updating various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Youtube, and others as well as creating and maintaining websites with unique URLs; I also have substantial experience in audio/visual recording and editing as well as layout and design and am well versed on many editing programs including Final Cut Pro, Garageband, Imovie, Photoshop, Illustrator, Sony Sound Forge, as well as others, and have produced 100s of audio recordings, radio programs, commercials and videos, as well as T-shirt, poster, logo, packaging and other design types.
Selected Work:
2019-2022
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Research Assistant at the Popular Culture Library and Archives within the Jerome Library at Bowling Green State University, to support curriculum in Music, Popular Culture, and American Culture Studies with an emphasis of collecting and archiving regional music history and culture as well as building digital exhibits and learning guides and giving lectures on the collections.
2015-2019
Culture Consultant
Freelance Consultant working with governments, agencies, and nonprofits in areas of culture sensitivity, outreach, and understanding. Clients include Public Broadcasting System, Louisville Free Public Library, BBC World Service, Louisville Public Media, StudioWorks, & Louisville Metro Government.
2015-2020
Journalist
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Research Assistant at the Popular Culture Library and Archives within the Jerome Library at Bowling Green State University, to support curriculum in Music, Popular Culture, and American Culture Studies with an emphasis of collecting and archiving regional music history and culture as well as building digital exhibits and learning guides and giving lectures on the collections.
2015-2019
Culture Consultant
Freelance Consultant working with governments, agencies, and nonprofits in areas of culture sensitivity, outreach, and understanding. Clients include Public Broadcasting System, Louisville Free Public Library, BBC World Service, Louisville Public Media, StudioWorks, & Louisville Metro Government.
2015-2020
Journalist
Culture and music journalist for leading regional alt-weekly paper; conducting interviews and
generating socially relevant content as well as previews, reviews, and editorials.
LEO Weekly Magazine
2011-2015
Associate Archivist
Audio Engineering for Berea College Sound Archives. Responsible for restoring and archiving historical recordings as well as researching and writing biographies and creating educational programs with the content.
Berea College
Hutchins Library
Special Collections and Archives
2007-2020
Editor in Chief
Responsible for generating, editing, and overseeing copy, and audio/visual content for Louisville’s oldest music and entertainment blog.
37FLOOD Louisville Music and entertainment news online Magazine
2000-2020
Founder/Operator
Director of Louisville Is For Lovers Record Label since 2000. Production and management of over 40 albums of regionally based music; working with hundreds of artists and coordinating with media outlets and related partnerships.
LEO Weekly Magazine
2011-2015
Associate Archivist
Audio Engineering for Berea College Sound Archives. Responsible for restoring and archiving historical recordings as well as researching and writing biographies and creating educational programs with the content.
Berea College
Hutchins Library
Special Collections and Archives
2007-2020
Editor in Chief
Responsible for generating, editing, and overseeing copy, and audio/visual content for Louisville’s oldest music and entertainment blog.
37FLOOD Louisville Music and entertainment news online Magazine
2000-2020
Founder/Operator
Director of Louisville Is For Lovers Record Label since 2000. Production and management of over 40 albums of regionally based music; working with hundreds of artists and coordinating with media outlets and related partnerships.
Awards & Accomplishments:
2021
Presenter at the 2021 Association for Ethnic Studies Conference at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green, Ohio
2021
Area chair on Class Studies for the 2021 Midwest Popular Culture Association and Midwest American Culture Association Annual Conference
Minneapolis, Minnesota
2021
Full scholarship to Bowling Green State University PhD Program in American Cultural Studies &
Full scholarship to Bowling Green State University PhD Program in American Cultural Studies &
Archival Research Assistantship
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green, Ohio
2021
Speaker and panel chair at the The Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Speaker and panel chair at the The Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
2020
Speaker and panel chair on politics at the Midwest Popular Culture Association and Midwest American Culture Association Annual Conference (virtual).
2020
Speaker at the The Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
2020
Department of Popular Culture Stoddard-O’Neill Grant from Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
*Interrupted by 2020 quarantine
2019
Full scholarship to Bowling Green State University Graduate Popular Culture Program & Archival Research Assistantship
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
2018
Speaker in Honorarium
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky
2018
Artist in Residence at the Louisville Free Public Library Louisville, Ky
2015
Speaker at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) Annual Conference
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
2010
Full Scholarship to Berea College; Berea, Kentucky
2004
Artist in Residence, Brown Hotel; Louisville, KY
2003
Artist in Residence, Bernheim Forest; Bardstown, KY
2002
Guggenheim Museum
Speaker at the The Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
2020
Department of Popular Culture Stoddard-O’Neill Grant from Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
*Interrupted by 2020 quarantine
2019
Full scholarship to Bowling Green State University Graduate Popular Culture Program & Archival Research Assistantship
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
2018
Speaker in Honorarium
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky
2018
Artist in Residence at the Louisville Free Public Library Louisville, Ky
2015
Speaker at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) Annual Conference
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
2010
Full Scholarship to Berea College; Berea, Kentucky
2004
Artist in Residence, Brown Hotel; Louisville, KY
2003
Artist in Residence, Bernheim Forest; Bardstown, KY
2002
Guggenheim Museum
Venice Italy
First invited artist in residence at the Museum
2002
Early Times Grant
Grant for further Artistic Education
Professional Affiliations & Memberships:
2018 - Present
Member of The Prophetic Council
Poor People's Campaign
2015 – Present
Kentucky Council On Archives
2015 – Present
Society of American Archivists
2015 - Present
Midwest Archives Council
2013 - Present
Melungeon Heritage Association
2001 – Present
The Electric Church Of The Tambourine
First invited artist in residence at the Museum
2002
Early Times Grant
Grant for further Artistic Education
Professional Affiliations & Memberships:
2018 - Present
Member of The Prophetic Council
Poor People's Campaign
2015 – Present
Kentucky Council On Archives
2015 – Present
Society of American Archivists
2015 - Present
Midwest Archives Council
2013 - Present
Melungeon Heritage Association
2001 – Present
The Electric Church Of The Tambourine
Education:
Master's of Arts in Popular Culture
Graduate Certificate in Public History
Bowling Green State University
May 2021
Bachelor of Arts
Berea College
Popular Culture Major
Communication Minor
May 2015
1996-1999
Studied Film Photography
University of Louisville
Louisville, Ky.
1995
Studied Film and Creative Writing
Columbia College
Chicago Illinois
1996
Graduate