Ava’s connection with sculpture was slow to develop. Her first formal instruction with sculpture occurred at Cape Fear Community College. There, learning the initial concepts of layering, stacking, embedding, and multiplicity, Ava started on the path that would help her transition from a 2D artist to a 3D one.

Once at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Ava continued to develop her understanding of sculptural concepts as she started to recognize the evolving and interactive relationship inherent to each form. By the end of her degree, Ava’s artwork had transformed into the minimal yet expressive works that she is known for.