Not every child wakes up one day and declares, “I shall be an art curator!”, – and neither did I. Honestly, I just liked coloring more than math. That small preference somehow spiraled into full blown fascination with the arts. It began with spending way too much time meticulously coloring in childrens’ menus, which morphed into drawing, then painting, then finding myself asking way too many questions about why a certain sculpture looks the way it does. Suddenly all my electives in school were art classes, everything from ceramics to jewelry making, I've done it all. Somewhere between glue sticks and gallery visits, I realized I didn’t just love making art, I loved thinking about it too. 

 

Fast forward a few years and you can find me spending late nights in the studio at Purdue University. I’m studying Art History and Studio Arts & Technology, which basically means I study the ‘why’ behind centuries-old masterpieces, while also trying to figure out ‘how’ I keep my clay from flying off the wheel. For me, art is about dialogue – past and present, material and idea, artist and viewer. I’m still figuring out where I belong in all of that, but I know I want to be in spaces where I can find out, whether that's in curating, exhibiting, or even creating work myself.  

 

So how did I end up at Behn Gallery? 

 

Curiosity, mostly. I wanted to understand the behind-the-scenes side of the art world – how exhibitions come together, how artists get supported, how a gallery breathes. After speaking with Roben, the opportunity felt like the right mix of intimidating and exciting, which is how I knew it was worth doing. Behn isn't just about displaying art. It’s about fostering conversation, connection, and care for both the work and the people behind it. That kind of thoughtful energy is exactly what I had hoped to find in the art world, and I’m lucky to have found it this early. 

 

I don’t know exactly where I'm headed yet – maybe curating, maybe art dealing, maybe something I haven't even discovered yet – but I know this is the kind of space that can help me figure it out. A space that welcomes questions, creativity, and yes, even a little chaos. 

So no, I didn’t wake up as a kid one day and announce my curatorial destiny, but I did wake up one day excited to go into the gallery, and maybe that's how it all starts. 

 

(Don’t worry, I haven’t broken anything yet. Knock on wood.)