“Immigrant Song” (2020)

Taking a moment to celebrate the completion of a piece I started on New Year’s Day of this year. The buffalo hoop actually became its own separate thing, one of several pieces I completed concurrently with this one. It seems to be my way to start a lot of pieces at once, because starting things is fun, and also because I’ve learned to productively channel my ADHD into art-making, and then count on my OCD to demand that I finish off projects sooner or later. Making mental health challenges a positive part of my life is just one reason making art is a lifeline for me. Anyway, I understand the collective take on 2020 is that it’s a dumpster fire, and that’s indisputable, but I would be lying if I failed to acknowledge that the even-higher levels of sequestering and social isolation has driven me to produce some of the best art of my life. That, paired with a working stipend from UM Institute for the Humanities has given me the support the needed to concentrate something like 300 hours of work into a single 2 ft x 2 ft square of fabric.
The show that was supposed to accompany the stipend is a bit up in the air, as campus closure seems to be a tough reality we’re all trying to accept, but showing work is not nearly as important to me as making it, and this year has been a blessing for that (and the birth of my healthy niece), if nothing else.
Here’s some process shots over the last seven months.