At the root of my work is a deep orientation toward what it means to care. The word itself comes from cearu—to feel sorrow, concern, to hold something in the heart-mind with weight and attention. The heart, from heorte and cor, has long been understood as the center of feeling, thought, and being—not separate from the mind, but its living core. And courage, from corage, originally meant to act from the heart: to remain present, to speak truthfully, to stay with what is difficult without turning away. Together, these roots shape a way of working grounded in presence—where care is not simply what is offered, but what is felt; and courage is the quiet act of staying, accompanying, and tending within that shared human experience.

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Biologically, the heart and brain are in constant dialogue. The heart carries its own neural network and sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart, influencing how we perceive and respond. In this sense, the heart helps shape the conditions in which the mind thinks—echoing what language has long held: that feeling and knowing are not separate, but deeply intertwined.

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My work with Moments Seen, Spirit Felt unfolds through a layered approach to care—rooted in community life, family accompaniment, and creative practice—and currently includes, although not limited to, long term collaborations across diverse spaces:

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• Family Liaison & Photographer — Vineyard Havens

• Photographer — Vineyard Conservation Society

• Photographer — Martha's Vineyard Hospice & Palliative Care

• Photography Teacher — Penikese Island School

• Care Coordinator — First Congregational Church of West Tisbury

• Curator & Designer — Life Energy Foundation

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Previous Experience

• Outreach Coordinator, Photographer & Teacher — Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School

• Associate Photographer & Studio Manager — Randi Baird Photography

• Art/Music Teacher for Children & Older Adults — Independent Consultant

• Curator, Advocate & Vice President — Media Voices for Children

• Art Director — Vital Enterprises /Life Energy Arts

 

Training & Formation

My background brings together formal education, interdisciplinary study, membership and mentorship in the fields of creativity, education, healing and grief.

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Interdisciplinary study, membership and mentorship includes:

• LEAD: Part 1 Modern Widows Club Leadership Training Course — Modern Widows Club

• End-of-Life Doula Training & Pathways to Practice — INELDA

• Entering the Healing Ground: Grief Ritual Leadership Training — Francis Weller

• Energy Healing — Oakbridge Institute

• Photography  — Kinship Photography Collective

• Mindful Photography for Practitioners — Look Again (UK)

• Singing — Island Community Chorus

• Singing — First Congregational Church of West Tisbury Choir

• Diploma in Music & Health — Institute for Music & Health 

• Music Outreach (to nursing homes & schools) — Music Engagement Program,  Australian National University

• Longterm Mentorship (ten years) — Dr. John Diamond, M.D.

 

Academic training includes:

• B.Ed. Primary Education — University of Canberra (Australia)

• BTEC Diploma in Art & Design — Wimbledon School of Art (UK)

 

Additional training in conservation, framing, and studio/gallery work:

• Volunteer Curatorial Assistant — National Museum of Australia

• Curatorial, Post-Production & Printing Assistant— Vital Enterprises

• Cultural Heritage & Collections Management — University of Canberra (Australia)

• Apprenticeship in Conservation Picture Framing — Framing Matters (Australia)

• Conservation Framing — The Framing School (Australia)

• Picture Framing — Aarwun Gallery and Belconnen Picture Framing (Australia)

• Gilding Workshop — Art Gilding Academy (Australia)

 

Select Clients & Collaborations

• Martha’s Vineyard Hospice & Palliative Care

• MV Center for Living

• Island Elderly Housing

• Oak Bluffs Council On Aging

• Windemere Nursing Home

• Laurel Ridge Health Care Center (CT)

• Institute for Music & Health (NY)

• Reach Out Arts (NY)

• Featherstone Arts Center

• Sculpin Gallery/MV Art Association

• Vineyard Conservation Society

• Polly Hill Arboretum

• Penikese Island School

• Plastic Pollution Coalition

• Slough Farm

• Kingsborough Community College (NY)

• MVRHS

• MVPCS

• West Tisbury School

• Island Autism Group

• YMCA

• First Light Child Development Center

• At Home in the Woods

• West Tisbury Library

• Oak Bluffs Library

• …and others across the U.S. and internationally​