About Yara¶
With a background in engineering and architecture as well as studio art, I love to integrate materials and forms to create something unexpected. Many of my favorite pieces explore the boundary between art and craft, creating art out of something that is also intended to be useful. This interest stems from the desire to limit unnecessary waste while still enriching our environment by incorporating beauty into every day items.
Background¶
I was fortunate to grow up with two of the most iconic natural preserves in the United States, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, as my backyard. My parents, and the adventures we shared, instilled in me a passion for exploration and a reverence for nature and the wild. Family vacations entailed camping, backpacking and climbing. Money that other families might have spent to eat out at a restaurant was saved and used to buy me my first pair of skis. This early education in the outdoors inspired my current love of mountain biking, white water rafting, kayaking, and cross country ski racing. In college, I competed as a United States athlete in two international nordic skiing competitions. These activities have provided me with a connection to the environment and the pursuit of excellence that informs all aspects of my life.
Previous work¶
My work is inspired by the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. Although we are all supported by and live within ecosystems, we often think of ourselves as separate and often opposing forces. This opposition in mirrored thought the combination of organic and inorganic materials and forms.
