Resume

I am an independent scholar and anthropologist of material culture and religion/belief with a background in art and design, and a commitment to studying practices of making and doing and their effects on subjects and groups. I collaborate with scholars and educators globally through my online publication The Jugaad Project and am associated with the Matière à Penser group for embodiment studies. I have researched and theorized materiality and sociality in diverse contexts including maker/religious groups in India, Indonesia, and the U.S. Research Areas: cloth/clothing, beliefs, aesthetics, power, subject-object relationships, practices

Downloadable CV

Education

PhD, Material and Visual Culture, Anthropology, University College London (UCL), UK, 2015.
MFA, Studio Art, Penn State University (PSU), State College, US, 2009.
BA (Hons) Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, 2000.
BFA, Communication Design, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, 1998.

Work Experience (abbreviated)

2019 – ongoing, Founder and Managing Editor of The Jugaad Project.
Adjunct Faculty, Dept. of Anthropology (2020-23) and Gallatin School of Individualized Study (2019), NYU.
2016 – 2018, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Museum Anthropology, Bard Graduate Center (BGC) and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York. Curation of exhibit on Balinese textiles and publication of a monograph.
2016 – ongoing, Honorary Research Associate, UCL, UK.
2014 – 2019, Co-Founder and Managing Editor of the Material Religions Blog.

Research & Publications

See CV for a complete list of publications.(pdf)

Awards

2018 – 2019, Asian Cultural Council Individual Fellowship grant for research on Indonesian textiles.
2018, Coby Foundation Ltd., Grant for development of an exhibit on Balinese textiles at BGC.
2016 – 2018, Postdoctoral Fellowship AMNH-BGC.
2013, British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR), Conference Bursary.
2012, India Travel Award, Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
2011, UCL Anthropology Departmental Bursary.
2010, Rotary International District 7510 Ambassadorial Scholarship 2011-12.
2009, Solo Exhibition 2010, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ.
2007 – 08, Graduate Scholarship, Penn State University.

Shows and Reviews

May 2018, Taksu and the Power of Balinese Textiles (pdf), Seema Shah, Passage, Singapore.
Oct 3 – Dec 5, 2010, Moving Home, Solo Show, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ.
'No Place Like Home' (pdf), Ralph Bellantoni, Courier News, Oct 8, 2010.
Apr – Aug 2010, Erasing Borders 2010: Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora,NJ/PA/NYC.
Oct 2009 – Jan 2010, Hunterdon Art Museum Members Exhibition, NJ, U.S.A.
May 2009, Prequel, MFA Group show, Sara Meltzer Gallery, NYC.
April 2009, Skin Deep, MFA thesis show, Zoller Gallery, Penn State, PA.
Nov – Dec 2008, Woman!, The Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, NYC.
Jun 2008, The Golden Calf: A Compilation of Fixation & Obsession, Group Show, Crane Arts, Philadelphia.
Mar 2008, Penn State Graduate Research Show, HUB Gallery, Penn State, PA.

Skills

Interdisciplinary research across anthropology/sociology, cultural studies, and art.
Editorial, publication, management, and organization skills.
Multi-material artwork across clay, fiber and print.
Strong communication, organization and collaboration skills.

Affiliations

Sociology of Religion (BSA).
Textile Society of America.
Museum Anthropology, Journal of the Council for Museum Anthropology. Board Member.