I started The Sky Connection. I'm an artist, educator, nature mentor, and cultural astronomer.
In the academic world, I'm currently an MA candidate in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the Sophia Center for Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.
In the science education world, I spent seven years as an educator at Seattle's Museum of Flight, taking classes of students on trips to Mars and the moon in the Challenger Learning Center, launching rockets in library parking lots, and my personal favorite: traveling the world with an inflatable planetarium dome. My planetarium work has been featured at the Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium, the American Astronomical Society, and the international journal The Planetarian. It has been my pleasure to work alongside the University of Washington as a special guest of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for the 2017 Solar Eclipse; the Marie Drake Planetarium of Juneau, Alaska; the opening of Boeing's Flight of Dreams in Nagoya, Japan; Mount St. Helens star parties, and countless other schools and communities. During the pandemic years, I was a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador, hosted a cultural astronomy podcast (Cosmologies), wrote curriculum for online courses, and produced films for Girl Scout space badges.
In the art world, I have a BFA in Musical Theatre from Central Washington University. My love of cultural astronomy was fostered here while writing and performing an all-female devised play about the Challenger space shuttle and the friendship between Teacher In Space astronauts Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan. Since then, I've been a member of the Seattle fringe theatre community and created plenty of weird, science-inspired works at Annex Theatre, The Pocket Theatre, Infinity Box, and more. One of my favorite projects has been co-writing "Rovers", a campy folk-rock musical about a summer camp for anthropomorphic Mars rovers, complete with talkbacks from mission specialists. Another favorite was resurrecting Stephen Edwards' "Moon Landing" musical for the Apollo 11 capsule's 50th anniversary Seattle visitation. I've also published a hand-written, hand-drawn/painted poetry novella based on my experience in the backcountry.
In the nature connection world, I completed the Nature Instructor Training youth apprenticeship at Wilderness Awareness School (WAS) in 2022. I spent a year running through the woods with a pack of wild kids and teens, building fires, eating plants, holding rites of passage, and more. I'm currently the Summer and Adult Programs Coordinator at WAS, and I facilitate the monthly Night Club and a spring overnight weekend. I've been a stargazer since I can remember, and I'm an avid hiker and forest protector of the Snoqualmie lands and waters where I grew up.
In my myriad experiences with learners of all ages, I've found that the science world craves art, the art world craves science, the astronomy world craves connection to nature, the nature connection world craves the sky, and EVERYONE desires more joy and passion. The Sky Connection aims to get at the heart of all of that.
Right now, I run Night Club with help from fellow Nature Mentor Hannah Libby, and support from Wilderness Awareness School.
I run my own private events and workshops.
As this project grows, my team is sure to expand. Please reach out if you'd like to volunteer, support, or inquire about future openings.
Copyright © 2023 The Sky Connection - All Rights Reserved.
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