![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/8c0587e7-93d7-43fa-be1b-d395397fc7d7/c61c4e3e-2a86-4eea-96f6-2da79584017b_rw_1920.jpg?h=acb9103499382c258e6ced8066f82a8e)
“Stella” refers to the stellated figure that results from cutting a buttressed tropical tree. On one side, a five-pointed star appears. On the other side, it transforms into a constellation. This project is about diaspora, from the extirpation of this incredible tree from its native habitat in the Caribbean, its reestablishment in Polynesia, to its journey to a new existence in New York. This photograph was taken in the Dowd Gallery, SUNY Cortland in 2021.