My interest in the American Academy of Rome derives from the premise that all artists benefit from an awareness of history. Making work at the Academy would give me a unique opportunity to study art across the disciplines in a manner that would immediately impact my work. My fellowship year would be spent making photographs informed by the wealth of art surrounding me in Rome, using the backdrop of the American Academy to investigate how institutions have influenced art making over time and how perceptions of art and history shift. I intend to make images of scholars, artists, conservators, institutions, and street scenes of daily Roman life alongside tourists coming in direct contact with many of the most influential works of art ever created.