Behind the Floodgates, She Sinks is a mixed-media assemblage made with black-and-white photography, fabric, and wood. The piece features two hinged wooden doors (repurposed saloon door panels) that open outward to reveal a black-and-white self-portrait printed on archival pigment paper and mounted to a raw pine board frame. Red thread stretches across the surface, pulled taut in diagonal lines that extend from the frame and cross the figure within the image.

“ The act of opening and closing the work invites viewers to connect and to be inquisitive, creating a moment where they may feel as if they are intruding, or, if they are not paying close enough attention, may overlook the piece entirely. That interaction helps tell the story behind the work, the struggles we carry behind closed doors, the strong exteriors we are expected to maintain, or hide and the way our inner worlds often remain unseen. You do not truly know what is happening behind someone’s doors until you open them, spend time, and allow yourself to look.

My work lives in the dualities I carry, sensuality and spirituality, womanhood and sanctity, exposure and concealment, and this piece holds space for all of those tensions. Receiving this award is such a blessing. I’m honored that the juror paused long enough to look beneath the surface. I hope this piece encourages viewers to look inward with the same attentiveness and curiosity they bring to the work and to remember that we all hold worlds beneath our own floodgates.”