Advanced Fiber Studio (Highlights)
Culture can be defined by the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Contemporary society tends to confuse the lines that separate race and culture. My work attempts to explore these territories by examining where these concepts overlap and prejudices are formed.
Fabric based collages and photography are used to convey these ideas, integrating material and concept with the intent of pushing the viewer to re-evaluate their morals and ideas. Each viewer approaches the piece with their own preconceived principles, and within the experience with the piece there may be a point where these personal and societal morals are examined. The text I choose is sampled, often from conversations I have had or stories I’ve been told. Pieces such as Nice Ass For A White Bitch and You Are The Blackest are created from combinations of words that have been expressed to me on the street. I intend the text to pose questions and provoke thought beyond what is generated through media, popular culture, geography, and the environment. I am interested in the history, events, and personal accounts of inter-racial couples, mixed individuals, race identity and ownership, degrees of color, and sexuality within race. Although these issues may seem dated, I am interested in how much residue and resonance they still hold today and work to prompt a larger personal and societal conversation.