The PETAL Project

Angilee Wilkerson | Lead Curator

Angilee Wilkerson is a photography and mixed media artist, Texas naturalist, and educator. She earned her MFA from Texas Woman’s University with a major in Photography and a minor in Intermedia Studies. She serves as Art Director in the division of University Brand Strategy & Communications at the University of North Texas

Two of her long-term projects include the Perform La Femme and the Wondrous Prairie series. An avid hiker and nature wanderer, she often finds her inspiration in the wild spaces of the TX Northern Elm Fork and Black Land Prairie. Drawn to the wilderness, her art examines the alterity that is inherent in nature and within our inner selves.

Wilkerson’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Longview Museum of Fine Art, TX, and The Center for Fine Art Photography, CO, and has been showcased in photography biennales including the New Pictorial at the International Museum of Photography, China, and in Fotofest, TX. Publications featuring her work include The Photo Review, Photo District News, and Photographer’s Forum. She has been honored with numerous recognitions, including the Puffin Foundation Grant, Top 50 at Critical Mass Photoucida, and an artist residency at La Macina Di San Cresci, Italy.  

Passionate about education and expressing one’s self through art, Angilee has led workshops at institutions, museums, and community centers, including the Dallas Museum of Art, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, and the Proster Arts Center, Boskovice CZ. She conceptualized and curated, Waterways— A biennial confluence of art, philosophy, and science in celebration of water, an interdisciplinary project held at The University of North Texas and she has served as art Juror at various clubs and schools.    

angileewilkerson.com

Rachel Weaver | Co-Curator & Co-Director of PETAL

Rachel Weaver is an environmental educator, mixed media artist, and creative collaborator residing in North Texas. They earned a BA in Social Sciences, and an MA in Philosophy with a minor in Environmental Science from the University of North Texas. Weaver’s environmental performance-philosophy work, blendways, involves multisensory ecological reveries that combine soundscape ecology, aural collage, ambient music, field recordings, zines, fiber arts, essays, radio programs, and interactive spaces to engage environmental imaginations. They have participated in mixed media performances, installations, and panels with creative collaborations at the metropolis ensemble flame keepers, dallas contemporary museum, Dallas Museum of Art - Center for Creative Connections, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Interference Fest, Sonic Murals, Thin Line Festival, and at multiple conferences, universities, galleries, and venues. They are a co-director and educator with The PETAL Project, offering environmental education with creative practices through community workshops, resources, and engagement.

www.weaverswriting.com

Alex Khraish | Co-Curator & Co-Director of PETAL

Alex Khraish is a multimedia artist, educator, and environmentalist living and working in North Texas. Alex earned their Bachelors of Fine Arts in both Photography and Art History from Texas Woman’s University, and went on to be a Museum Educator at the Kimbell Art Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art, with additional experience in social work and early childhood education. Their work addresses themes of identity, magic, and the sensorial experience of connecting with nature, while challenging the materiality of the photographic process. In both their personal practice and as an educator, Khraish has extensive experience working with a wide array of artistic mediums, with a focus in papermaking, bookmaking, and printmaking. Khraish is a co-director and educator with The PETAL Project, and teaches workshops across the DFW Metroplex at various museums, public libraries, and private studios.