Welcome, I'm so glad you are here.

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My name is Whitney Erin. Once upon a time, I was Whitney Aiken, and you might also know me as Whitney Aguiñiga or Ms. A. Whitney Erin is what my mother calls me when I’m in trouble. These days, I’m claiming it for my creative pursuits, too.

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I am a mama, multimedia artist, educator, and lifelong student of living systems. I believe that meaningful art, thriving ecosystems, and resilient communities are rooted in the same values: diversity, reciprocity, curiosity, and belonging. My practice makes room for the many versions of ourselves, honoring who we’ve been and leaving space for who we are becoming.

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Inspired by permaculture, social practice, and participatory art, I create collaborative, place-based experiences that invite curiosity, connection, and co-authorship. I'm drawn to the radically handmade as a gentle resistance to a culture of speed, isolation, and disposability, making space instead for slowness, care, and imperfection. My work explores how creating together can nurture belonging and strengthen relationships between people, place, and the more-than-human world.

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I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Media from California State University Monterey Bay, a Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Community Engagement from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Fine Arts from Mills College. While my education has deeply shaped my material practice, my greatest teachers continue to be motherhood, the people I meet along the way, and this precious Earth. I’m still unlearning quite a bit, too.

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Thank you for being here. If you'd like to collaborate, I'd love to hear from you.