For the 2026 Williams Art Community Project (WACP).

Juror Response Form

My exhibition explores the losses that can come with being highly perceived, and being highly reliant on others’ perceptions of oneself throughout life. Inspired by the 19th century French concept of a flâneur—an urban wanderer and observer—I aim to draw attention to the zero-sum relationship between seeing and being seen. When we invest effort into how we are seen, less may remain for presence, attention, and energy to observe the world around us. The term “flâneur” was originally a descriptor for men, since French urban women in the 19th century faced stricter social expectations in public and had less access to public spaces. Thus, it was difficult for them to become fully absorbed in their surroundings. My work explores the unattainability of being an American flâneuse—a female flâneur—in the modern day due to the persisting scrutiny women experience in society. Through natural subjects and landscapes, depict how social pressures change women's ability to observe and notice details in the natural world. I hope to provoke consideration of how perception shapes not just how women are seen, but what they are able to see in return. 

jnk3@williams.edu