CV

Education

2024                MFA, Sculpture + Elective in Fiber, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield

                                    Hills, MI

2022                BFA with Honors, Sculpture, Magna Cum Laude, University of Houston,

                                    Houston, TX

 

Teaching Experience

2025-26           Lecturer, Oakland University, Rochester, MI (courses taught: 3D Design

                                    in-person, Fall 2025 and Winter 2026)

2024-26           Adjunct Faculty, Macomb Community College, Clinton Township, MI

                                    (courses taught: Color and Design online asynchronous, Fall 2024 and

                                    Winter 2026, Color and Design in-person, Winter 2025, & Fine Art

                                    Appreciation online asynchronous, Winter 2025)

2024-26           Adjunct Faculty, St. Clair County Community College, Port Huron, MI

                                    (courses taught: Color and Design in-person, Fall 2024 – Winter 2026, Art

                                    Appreciation in-person, Fall 2024 – Winter 2025, & Foundation Drawing

                                    in-person, Fall 2025 – Winter 2026)

 

Solo Exhibitions

2022                Spirituality of the Loss, Third Space Gallery, Houston, TX

2021                Pain, Loss, and The Wandering Soul, Elgin Street Studios, Houston, TX

2017                Finding My Way, Bohemeo’s, Houston, TX

 

Collaborative Exhibitions

2026                Ceramics x Fiber, Boyer Campbell, NCECA, Detroit, MI (artwork in

                                    collaboration with Julie Lambert)

2024                Environment + Microclimates, Boyer Campbell, Detroit Month of Design

                                    (artwork series in collaboration with w/ Sarah Rose Sharp, Jennifer

                                    Mones, Courtney Matthews, Emily Bush, & Bootz the Poet)

 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025                Together We Create, SC4 Galleries, St. Clair County Community College, Port

                                    Huron, MI

                        Collectively Independent, SC4 Faculty Exhibition, SC4 Galleries, St. Clair

                                    County Community College

                        Finding Our Way Home, Hatch Art, Hamtramck, MI

2024                Collectively Independent, SC4 Faculty Exhibition, SC4 Galleries, St. Clair

                                    County Community College, Port Huron, MI

                        Personal Heat, Annex Gallery, Highland Park, MI

                        Other Selves, Flagstaff Strand Theatre Gallery, Pontiac, MI

                        Boundless, Berkley Public Library, Pontiac, MI

                        Kaleidoscope, Pontiac Creative Arts Center, Pontiac, MI, Mosaic Award

                        Ode to Mother Earth, a juried exhibition, Grosse Pointe Artists Association,

                                    Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, Best of Show Award (juried by the staff of the

                                    Wyland Foundation; gallery talk and presentation of awards by Mark

                                    Huetter, Senior Designer, Mark H Creative)

                        Graduate Degree Exhibition, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI

                        On Seeing Red, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI

                        Annexxx, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2023                Quilter’s Showcase, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI

                        A Queer Show, Forum Gallery

                        Cartograffiti, Forum Gallery

                        Tall Tall Bien’talle, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

2021                Annex Energy, SITE Gallery, Houston, TX (catalogue)

                        UH School of Art Annual Student Exhibition, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX

2020                BAMSA Biannual Art Show, Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre, Houston, TX

                        Pancakes & Booze Art Show, Warehouse Live, Houston, TX

2018                Red Block Bash, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX

 

Exhibitions Curated

2025                Finding Our Way Home, Hatch Gallery, Hamtramck, MI

2023                Quilter’s Showcase, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI

 

Seminars / Lectures

2024                “A Postcolonial Critique of Art vs Craft,” CAA Department of Sculpture,

                                    Bloomfield Hills, MI, Reading Seminar, April 1, 2024.

2023                “From Then To Now,” DeSalle Auditorium, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Artist Slide

                                    Lecture, October 20, 2023.

2021                “The Spirituality of The Loss,” Site Gallery, Houston, TX, Artist Gallery Talk,

                                    July 10, 2021.

 

Press

2025                Danny Vanzandt, “A Collective Dream: In Conversation with Jen Barker,”

                                    Detroit Cultural, no. 011, July 26, 2025. Digital.

2024                Lisa John Rogers, “Environment + Microclimates at the Boyer-Campbell

                                    Building,” Runner Magazine, September 28, 2024. Digital.

                        Layla McMurtrie, “Detroit fiber art exhibition showcases political, spiritual, and

                                    sustainable installations,” Detoit Metro Times, September 11, 2024.

                                    Digital.

                        “Multiple Cranbrook Artists Among 60+ in Detroit Fiber Club Group

                                    Exhibition,” Cranbrook Academy of Art, September 9, 2024. Digital.

                        Sarah Rose Sharp, “Jen Barker: Torn Apart, Stitched Together (2024),”

                                    Environment + Microclimates Field Guide, Taxonomy Press, September

                                    6, 2024. 6. Print.

                        Jena Brooker, “Detroit fiber art exhibit debuts Friday in Milwaukee Junction,”

                                    Bridge Detroit, September 5, 2024. Digital.

                        Mary Genson, “Cranbrook students gain inspiration from campus,” Birmingham-

                                    Bloomfield Eagle, April 23, 2024. Digital

2021                Mitch Cohen, “Art Valet: UH art students emerge with sculpture exhibit,” The

                                    Leader, May 4, 2021. Digital.

                        “Top Five: Aug. 12, 2021,” Glasstire, August 12, 2021. Digital.

                        “Annex Energy, University of Houston Grad and Undergrad Sculpture Exhibit,”

                                    Glasstire, April 27, 2021. Digital.

Events / Workshops

2025                Mending Day, Book Suey, Hamtramck, MI, Mutual Aid Event Organizer & Co-

                                    Host w/ Abigail Rist, Yeager Edwards, and Jan Haberek

2024                An Evening of Poetry, Boyer Campbell, Detroit, MI, Poetry Reading Event Co-

                                    Host w/ Mariko Brenner and Abigail Rist

                        Crochet & Patterns, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI,

                                    Workshop Instructor

2023                Piecing & Quilting, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Workshop

                                    Instructor

2021                Crochet, ARTS 1397, University of Houston, Houston, TX, Workshop Instructor

 

Writing

2026                “The Leaves, The Leaves,” Meet Me There, Another Time, Lexie Bean, editor

                                    (anticipated)

2024                “Torn Apart, Stitched Together,” Environment + Micro-Climates Field Guide,

                                    Sarah Rose Sharp, organizer/editor, Taxonomy Press, September 6, 2024.

                                    6. Print.

                        The Spirituality of Connection, Artist Book, The Book Patch, April 19, 2024.

                                    Print.

2021                Editor, Annex Energy Catalogue, Marie Williams, organizer, July 23, 2021.

                                    Digital.

 

Publications

2020                Glass Mountain Magazine 24, Untitled (2017), (Spring 2020): 41, Print and

                                    Digital.

                        Shards, Glass Mountain Magazine, no. 10 Make America Great Again?, (Fall

                                    2020), Digital.

 

Awards / Scholarships

2024                Mosaic Award, Kaleidoscope, Pontiac Creative Arts Center, Pontiac, MI

                        Best of Show, Ode to Mother Earth, a juried exhibition, Grosse Pointe Artists

                                    Association, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, (juried by the staff of the Wyland

                                    Foundation; gallery talk and presentation of awards by Mark Huetter,

                                    Senior Designer, Mark H Creative)

                        Merit Based Scholarship, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI

                                    (2022-2024)

2022                Honor Student, University of Houston, Houston, TX (2013-2014; 2018-2022)

                        Dean’s List, University of Houston, Houston, TX (2013 & 2020-2022)

                        Thomas R. & Richard S. Franklin Honors Scholarship, University of Houston,

                                    Houston, TX (2021-2022)

2014                Honors College Scholarship, University of Houston, Houston, TX

 

Skills

2002-26           Drawing – Life Drawing, Portrait Drawing, Landscape Drawing – Graphite,

                                    Charcoal, Colored Pencil, Pastels, Ink

2020-26           Printmaking – Silkscreen, Relief Printmaking

2008-26           Painting – Abstract Neoexpressionist Painting, Figurative Painting, Acrylic,

                                    Gouache, Watercolor, Mixed Media

2019-26           Photography – Digital Photography, primarily using a Sony Alpha a6000

                                    Mirrorless Camera, though I have experience with Canon DSLR Cameras

                                    as well

2019-26           Sculpture – Assemblage Sculpture, Mixed Media Sculpture – Wood, Steel, Fiber,

                                    Found Objects

2000-26           Fiber – Hand Sewing, Machine Sewing, Clothes Making, Quilting, Mending,

                                    Embroidery, Crocheting – Knit & Woven Fabrics, Natural & Synthetic

                                    Yarns, Paper

2019-26           Metalworking – MIG Welding, Cold Metal Bending, Angle Grinding – New &

                                    Reclaimed Steel

2022-26           Technology – Laser Cutting, 3D Modeling, 3D Printing

2024-26           LMS – Canvas, Moodle

2019-26           Software – Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Blender, AutoDesk Fusion360,

                                    Microsoft Office

Professional Experience

2024                Lab Assistant, Central Media Lab, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills,

                                    MI (2022-2024)

2022                Exhibition Installer, Along The Unsaid, Emily Dingmann Art, Houston, TX

                       Studio Assistant, Emily Dingmann Art, Houston, TX (2021-2022)

2021                Shop Tech, Moore’s School of Music Opera House, Houston, TX (2020-2021)

2020                Collaborating Artist, Daniel Calderon Art, Houston, TX

2012                Drawing Tutor, Private Tutoring, Houston, TX

 

Commissions

2025                Non-Profit Art Commission, Michigan Fist, Logo Design, digital design using

                                    Illustrator, Michigan Resistance Coalition, Statewide, MI

2023                Public Art Commission, Anti-Gerrymandering Educational Designs, digital

                                    design using Photoshop, Texans Against Gerrymandering, Katy, TX

                        Private Art Commission, Tarot Quilt, large-scale quilt (90”x90”), embroidery on

                                    cotton, Austin, TX

2022                Private Art Commission, Overthinking, painting (24”x36”), acrylic on canvas,

                                    Houston, TX

                        Private Art Commission, Biblically Accurate Angel, Crochet Sculpture

                                    (18”x18”x18”), acrylic yarn on wire, Austin, TX

2020                Private Art Commission, Birds & Bluebonnets, Tattoo Design (9”x12”), ink and

                                    watercolor on paper, Houston, TX

                        Private Art Commission, Planter Windchime, Multi-Media Sculpture

                                    (54”x12”x12”), acrylic on piano keys, crocheted macramé, hanging hook,

                                    flowerpot, Houston, TX

                        Private Art Commission, Candle Drawing, Drawing (6”x6”), acrylic, ink, and

                                    colored pencil on paper, collaged onto votive candle, Houston, TX

2016                Private Art Commission, Untitled, Painting (18”x24”), acrylic on wood, Houston,

                                    TX

2014                Private Art Commission, Joel’s Portrait, Painting (16”x20”), acrylic on canvas,

                                    Houston, TX