Jessica examines how anthropogenic influence affects terrestrial landscapes. Her science research interests are plant/arthropod interactions and post-fire resiliency of native plant communities within an adaptive management context.  As part of her artwork, she has investigated apple breeding, bumblebee foraging, and native bee habitat with scientists at Cornell University and University of Nevada, Reno.

She is the recipient of grants and fellowships from California Community Foundation, City of Los Angeles, Reed Foundation, Metabolic Studios, and the Graham Foundation. Her artwork has been highlighted by KCET, KCRW, Los Angeles Times, Art in America, Art Forum, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others.

Her ten year survey Fruiting Bodies at Descanso Gardens included educational programming and projects around native bee habitat. a better nectar, a exhibition based on the symbiosis between bumblebees and the plants they pollinate, premiered at the University Art Museum at CSU-Long Beach and traveled to the Gillespie Science Museum. Jessica is a Professor at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA. She will graduate with her Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science at University of California, Irvine in June 2022 and received her B.A. in Sociology from University of Missouri and her M.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts.

Contact form