As a dancer my body and appearance is a huge part of my personal identity, I have been dancing since about the age I could walk. It has provided me with so much, how to be an athlete, how to build flexibility, how to apply discipline in many facets of my life and how to thrive rather than cower in front of an audience. But with all of these positive lessons, there are a number of negative effects dancers are exposed to as well. Most notably, 15.8% of all dancers experience body dysmorphia and 16.4% are diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Through my own journey to recover from these conditions, I have done my best to become an advocate and a resource for those struggling with body image concerns. It has been a cathartic experience to be able to support and empathize with others, and from this experience, Vessel was born. Vessel is an online gallery space created to document personal explorations examining ways we can use and depict our bodies in ways that generate joy rather than spur the compulsory critique expected and enforced by societal constructs of body image and value. Vessel invites you to walk through these explorations of motion, image and fine art, and offers avenues to discover other contemporary artists creating related works to inspire visitors’ journeys past Vessel and consider the lens we use to view the body in both art creation and media consumption moving forward.