Artist Statement

As an artist, I see myself as both a maker and a researcher. My work combines material history and the act of making in order to deeply understand the objects that exist around us in daily life. Binaries surround us, some widely discussed such as gender, and some, like fixed/fluid, are still just as present, but less visible. My goal is not to define or reinforce existing dualities, but to expand and explore the space between them in various contexts.

My practice combines fiber and ceramic mediums, focusing on object history and material agency. Most of my fabrics come from second-hand or reclaimed items, often from the traditional home. In using materials that have already existed in the world, not only do they hold a pattern or functional history but also tell an individual story of where they’ve been. One such object that is prevalent in my work is the doily, defined more by its function than its form. The doily is often associated with gender roles because of its ties to women’s craft and because of this it is viewed as an outdated item. However, through my process of research and material exploration, for me it becomes a powerful object of agency, transcending gender binaries.

The second half of my practice revolves around clay. This work is a more direct collaboration than the fiber focused work. Clay itself has memory and enacts its agency during the intensive building and firing process. This labor and life exist in a binary of past and future because of the medium’s rich history and also longevity. The forms that I make reference the body and are meant to showcase a more physical binary in regard to weight, mobility, and interior/exterior. The organic shapes, because of the heaviness of the medium, seem as though they are frozen in time, either rising or sinking into the ground. They appear static and immovable, but fluid at the same moment. Another distinction of my practice is the textural aspects of the work. Each form is pressed with a doily in order to create texture and leave a visible mark. This action brings both material histories into that middle space, a swapping of moveable and immovable just for a moment.

My work is made so that people may feel comfortable and seen in the space between whether it be fixed/fluid, past/present, or masculine/feminine. I believe in the agency of people, of objects, and of history to exist outside of these set bounds. That is why I make work in the manner that I do, as a maker and as a researcher in collaboration with material.