She holds an M.F.A in printmaking from Arizona State University, and a B.A. in studio art and English from Wellesley College. Raised in Ohio and Michigan, Stokes weaves together narratives with the iconography of rural vernacular culture to create her visual work. She combines painting, printmaking, drawing, and digital imaging, building images and sculptural works not easily discernible as painting or print. Recent achievements include a Northwestern College Endowed Research Fellowship, a Purchase Award at the 29th Annual McNeese Works on Paper juried exhibition, and an Alice C. Cole ’42 Alumnae Grant from Wellesley College. Stokes has had solo exhibitions at: Illinois Wesleyan University; Northwestern College; MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan.