At the end of the school year in 2021, Barker participated in the UH School of Art Annual Student Exhibition, held at the Blaffer Art Museum. She featured her work Balancing Expectations which examines the absurdity of gender norms by juxtaposing and conflating both materials and methods that are commonly considered masculine or feminine. Despite the gendering placed upon yarn, crochet, metal, and welding, the entire piece was accomplished through female labor which often goes unnoticed. The strength of unseen female labor is emphasized by the fact that the artwork is supported by the crochet, not the metal.