About:

I am a writer, photographer, and documentary artist striving to address the multiplicities of truth in nonfiction creative work by engaging in the celebration of subjective narratives through collaborative settings. I seek projects that highlight individual voices, the nuances of memory, and the context of place, leading me to the superimposition of perspectives and timelines to explore the mysticism of human relationships and their histories.

I graduated from Skidmore College in 2025 with a Self-Determined Major in Nonfiction Media Arts and have also studied in Copenhagen, Berlin, London, Lausanne, and the forest. Though originally from below the welcome shadow of the Adirondack Mountains, I currently live and love in New York City.

@maitreya_ravenstar
maitreyaravenstar@gmail.com

CV:

Education

Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY  2025                                                           
Bachelor of Arts (with honors) in Self-Determined Major of Nonfiction Media Arts, Minor in Studio Art
Overall GPA: 3.9 (A), Deans List, Phi Betta Kappa

DIS Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
January-May 2024

Richmond the American International University in London, London, UK                                  
September 2021-May 2022

Awards, Grants, and Fellowships

Storyteller’s Institute Fellow (2025)
Periclean Scholars Award for Senior Thesis (2025)
Phi Betta Kappa (2025)
SEE Beyond Award, Skidmore College (2024)
Van Dewater Award, Schick Gallery Juried Show (2024)
Slow Travel Grant, DIS Copenhagen (2024)
Student Opportunity Fund grant, Skidmore College (2023)
Audrey Longley Award, Richmond the American International University in London (2022)

Exhibitions and Screenings

·   Unsaid, Unseen, Picture Lock One, Troy NY, 2025
·   Storyteller’s Institute Exhibition, Schick Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2025
·   The Last Knickerbocker in New York, Case Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2025
·   Queer Ecology Hanky Project, Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs NY, 2025
·   Schick Gallery Juried Show, Schick Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2025
·   Schick Gallery Juried Show, Schick Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2024
·   And branches reach for each other, Inevitably, we;, Case Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2023

Articles

·    “My First Photography Festival–A Week at the Rencontre d’Arles” SHIFT BOOKS, 2024
·    Various articles for website, Skidmore College, 2022-2024
·    “A Decade of Documentary” SCOPE Magazine, 2023
·    “Remembering my Cultural Exchange: A Path to Self-Discovery” School Renewal Magazine, 2023
·    5 Blog posts, IES Abroad, 2023

Experience

Co-Creator of Artist Interview Publication, SCEPTER                                    
June 2024-Present
·       Research and reach out to artists to coordinate interviews
·       Conduct 2-4 hour interview sessions with artists while collaborating on artworks
·       Photograph interview sessions in documentary style as well as portraits of the artists
·       Transcribe and edit interview transcripts
·       Design publication layout on InDesign
·       Social media marketing and press outreach

Storyteller’s Institute Fellow, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY       May-June 2025
·       Participated in group critiques and workshops 
·       Spent five weeks self-directing a nonfiction arts project
·       Envisioned and executed an installation presenting my work on the project

Designer and Editor of publication on Urban Renewal in Saratoga Springs, NY, MDOCS and C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios, Saratoga Springs, NY      
January-April 2025
·       Transcribed and pulled quotes from archival oral histories
·       Selected archival media as well as documentation of recent restorative public art events for narrative in a publication on Saratoga Springs' history of Urban Renewal
·       Designed layout of publication on InDesign
·       Coordinated with C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studio to adhere to their vision for the project

Cage/Print Room Assistant, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY           September 2023-May 2025
·       Assisted students enrolled in digital arts courses with printing transparencies and with large-scale Epson printers
·       Checked equipment rentals in and out and ensured all equipment was cared for, in place, and accounted for

Co-President, Art Circle, Saratoga Springs, NY                                                             September 2024-May 2025
·       Planned and executed screenings, workshops, and the bi-annual Cabaret
·       Presented screenings, interviewed visiting artists, led Q&As
·       Designed promotional content such as posters and social media posts

Web Master/Social Media Manager, WSPN Radio Station, Saratoga Springs, NY                                                                          
September 2023-May 2025
·       Redesigned the station’s website using WordPress, directing aesthetic layout and copywriting content
·       Ran the station’s blog, outreaching to DJs and artists to send in articles and interviews, editing submissions, sourcing images for posts
·       Led interviews of professional visiting musicians, editing transcripts into articles
·       Designed social media posts, wrote copy for media, managed various media accounts

Intern, SHIFT BOOKS, Berlin, Germany                                                                        
June-August 2024
·       Wrote copy for press and social media, wrote and designed newsletters and various articles for the company’s website
·       Organized archived photography for the Lost & Found project, learned photo editing techniques to ensure the order of photos displayed has a proper basis
·       Shadowed meetings with photographer during preliminary book designing sessions, aiding in English translations for captions and organizing images for consideration of sequencing
·       Researched author/artist for an interview, conducted interview, transcribed and edited interview for an article and app
·       Attended the Rencontres d’Arles with company,with company and wrote article on experience

Student Ambassador for Sustainable Travel, DIS, Copenhagen, Denmark                                                               
March 2024
·       Created itinerary for sustainable travel to the Skåne region of Southern Sweden considering transportation, relationship to nature, and local community
·       Photographed the weekend, and edited photos for publication
·       Wrote summarized blog post on the weekend in the style of the company’s brand

News Assistant, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY                                                              
Sept 2022-Oct 2024
·       Wrote articles for the College’s Marketing and Communications Office by conducting research, interviewing individuals, and going into the field to provide first-person accounts
·       Represented Skidmore as the photographer for events, considering lighting, angles, and subjects
·       Attended weekly meetings in the office, consulting with different members of the team to acquire knowledge of different departments (ex. Video, social media)

Studio Assistant to Artist, Evan Roth, Berlin, Germany                                                                        
June-July 2023
·       Aided in set-up of online shop, researched creation of products and art pieces, created mock-ups of album covers for upcoming record
·       Restretched canvases, tested paint, sewed products, shot photographs of products
·       Tested and documented various patterns for sculptures, created prototypes of sculptures
·       Kept website up to date, created PDF of press, updated inventory list

Blogger, IES Abroad, Berlin, Germany                                                                                                  
June-July 2023
·       Regularly wrote articles about first-hand experience interning abroad, traveling, and learning from a new culture
·       Photographed relevant subjects to include in articles
·       Designed layout of articles, wrote descriptions and alt text, uploaded images and writing onto IES Abroad blog

Assistant Literary Editor and Web Designer, Lunchbox Magazine, Skidmore College
September 2022-May 2023
·       Led editorial sessions with club members, prompting student suggestions, taking notes of comments, and compiling summaries for authors, created additional content for the magazine (ex. developed a visual flow quiz by collaborating with a member of the design team)
·       Aided in creation of website, uploaded content to the website, kept the website up to date

Co-Creative Director of Business Window, Saratoga Marketplace, Saratoga Springs, NY
October 2022
·       Met with a representative of the business co-op to understand the goals for the window display
·       Conceptualized and designed two options for the window, drew up sketches, generated mood boards
·      Shopped for and created props, and set up the window to fit the needs and desires of the business co-op

Communications Intern, Hatricks Public Relations, London, UK
January-May, 2022
·       Researched various business tools for PR client, generating proposal documents presented to the client in meetings
·      Prepared detailed minutes of a meeting with the PR company and the client
·       Conducted in-depth research on the history of music from 43,000 years ago up to the 1920s for an upcoming documentary series and compiled it into a 1500 introduction
·       Interviewed director of the PR company on her time producing for Sir George Martin (The Beatles) in the 1970s, running a London Newspaper (2011-2021) and her near-death experience with Covid. Transcribed 2-hour 17,000-word interview, edited into a 2,000-word feature

Co-President and founder of Richmond Art Society, Richmond the American International University in London, London, UK
September 2021-May 2022
·       Communicated with University to establish an art society after noticing a lack on campus
·       Planned weekly meeting with themes, sourced art supplies, planned and hosted events, ran a stand at club fair
·      Crafted social media posts, designed posters, photographed meetings

Gallery Assistant, The Orleans House Gallery, London, UK
February-March 2022
·       Assisted visitors with questions and anything they needed
·       Watched over the galleries to ensure they remained well-kept and art was safe
·      Familiarized myself with the current exhibitions
·      Completed a series of training such as child safeguarding, research on the gallery, and an extensive company handbook