about
A habitual researcher and avid seeker of stories, Jean Ni (they/she) engages with the world through open-ended experimentation. Their values are embedded in an art of living that is attentive to care, accountability, and the cultivation of respectful relations with all fellow beings.
Engaging land and bodies as storytelling apparatuses, Jean seeks to foster curiosity through exploration of radical eco-feminist concepts, under-acknowledged historical narratives, and uncanny natural phenomena. They are interested in the power of language, mythology, intimacy, monstrosity, and maintenance as forms of place-making.
Jean is a licensed landscape architect whose design ethic centers social justice and spatial equity, particularly through facilitating meaningful collaboration with diverse communities. Their work incorporates conscientious cultural analyses of place, concept development that translates visions into physical design, and empathetic processes of understanding and honoring community values from early engagement through design implementation.
Jean received an MLA from the University of Washington in 2018 and BA in International Studies/Sociology from University of California at San Diego. They are currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sassari, researching the role of traditional knowledge and participatory processes in shaping biocultural networks and green infrastructures throughout Sardinia.
In their own time, Jean finds joy in exploring plant-based crafts, etymology, political ecology, textile arts, bicycle touring, and rocks.
(Photo credit: Kasey Ferlic)