Dates:
June 13 – November 29, 2026
Location:
Palmer Museum of Art
I’m thrilled to share that my sculpture heretic.exe is included in Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250, an exhibition at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State.
The exhibition celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States. It invited artists to imagine America’s future through four themes: Activating Change, Bridging the Divide, Pursuit of Happiness, and A More Perfect Union. A team of jurors reviewed nearly 300 submissions and selected work by 50 artists, including Penn State students, faculty, staff, alumni, and artists from the Centre County region. I’m honored to have heretic.exe selected for this exhibition and to be part of this conversation about the future.
About the Artwork
heretic.exe
white pine wood | hand-carved & CNC machined
heretic.exe combines traditional hand carving with digital fabrication to explore the relationship between technology, power, surveillance, and human autonomy.
I carved the central figure by hand from white pine. I then digitally designed and CNC machined the pedestal to resemble data center infrastructure. Scavenged sticks and discarded wire form a pyre around the figure. Burn marks finish the sculpture, while binary code radiates from the base and repeats the phrase: “We are not data.”
The work connects historical persecution with contemporary systems of digital control, asking who holds power in a world that increasingly depends on technology. My research into artificial intelligence, data centers, and data collection shaped the sculpture while also leading me to consider the environmental and human consequences of the systems we have built.
For me, heretic.exe asks us to consider the future we are creating. Who controls our technology? Who controls our data? And how much of our autonomy are we willing to give up in exchange for convenience?
If you’re in the Penn State area, I invite you to visit the Palmer Museum of Art and experience Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250 in person. You can also view heretic.exe in the Palmer Museum’s online collection.
The exhibition is on view through November 29, 2026, in the Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Galleries at the Palmer Museum of Art. I’m grateful to have heretic.exe included and excited to see the work in conversation with so many different visions of America’s future.