It is hard to believe that “16 on Center” is approaching its final weekend on view at Boston Sculptors Gallery. It has been a wonderful adventure since its creation beginning in October of 2017. For several years, my work has looked closely at home-renovation processes, “creative play” and a curious mashup of these worlds— an artist’s way of integrating imagery and forms from different worlds that align within their own lifestyle explorations— this intersection of art and life is essential to my practice. Early works entertained the idea of one searching for play in the tedious tasks that “DIY” homeowners encounter. This most recent body of work and featured installation have uncovered even more. I am grateful for the conversations that I have had with visitors to the gallery over the last month! Looking closely at the installation and having fully digested it, I realize that “16 on Center” has ignited a great deal of self-discovery. It utilizes the visual language that surfaced in early work— childhood play, habitat making and spontaneous creative assemblies, but couples such with a formally finished interior space yielding entirely new meaning. The work reflects my own identity as a mother, homeowner and maker. In many ways, the interior space becomes an idealized vision of what I search for— perfection, organization, finish and simplicity. I recall my childhood home and the manner in which my mother curated rooms— every detail addressed in a way that made visitors (her own children even) hesitate to cross the threshold. She had little knowledge of interior design methods, but she exuded a real confidence in “making home” and maintaining it always. I find myself living her practices, stepping into her identity— constantly “fixing” disorder within the home and competing with the disruption that naturally occurs with a small child, dog and on-going house projects. The disruption of my space and my roles. The scale of “16 on Center” becomes so important to referencing self and other. The shift in energy, building approaches and material choices also contributes to these ideas. I continue to be inspired by the work of others (Phyllida Barlow and Jessica Stockholder for example) while my own experiences push into the foreground, and I am thrilled by what is on the horizon.
Photo Credit: Will Howcroft, “16 on Center”, Boston Sculptors Gallery, 2018