BIOGRAPHY

Morgan is a third year San Jose State undergraduate student working towards her BFA in Digital Media Art, specializing in graphic design and UX design. She has experience in creative design and has experience in social media for San Jose State Athletics. Morgan is Creative Design chair on the executive board for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and is currently a Creative Media Lead student assistant for Beyond Sparta. Morgan has also been on the cheerleading team at San Jose State all three years.

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a young girl, I was fascinated by the power of the female athlete. This fascination emerged when my older sister started playing football in high school, along with wrestling and shotput. When I looked at my sister, I saw strength and toughness, and I admired it. She was partaking in these male-dominated sports while I, a cheerleader, was over on the sideline cheering her on. That's what created my powerful sense of inspiration. She represented what it meant to be a strong and athletic woman. When I started to dive into the world of digital art, I thought about my sister. I wanted to be able to portray her on a screen, the way I pictured her in my head. I would see graphics of NFL or NBA stars that enhanced their athleticism. I saw bold edits of Major League baseball players swinging their bats or diving to catch a ball. I wanted to see that for my sister. I wanted to highlight her importance and the impact she had on me, so the embellishment of athletic women became my main vision when it came to my artwork.

As I gained more creative skills, I started using my art to see myself as a strong athlete. When it came to my college cheerleading career, I began taking photos of my teammates and editing graphics of them and myself. I accentuated the energy and power that I saw in us every day at competitions, games, and even practice. All because of the inspiration from my sister, I was able to imagine and create portrayals of strong athletes in female-dominating sports.