Juror's Merit Award

Disconnect approaches the mental health effects of the pandemic. The narratives rotate around the teapot in a whirlwind as if to signify the tornadic effects of quarantine and a lack of social interaction. Finding the beauty in recovery and perseverance, I used landscape and imagery related to my personal struggle to suggest that "you are not alone".

This sculpture takes aim at the ubiquitous public monuments glorifying powerful men riding high on their horses. This young woman sits triumphantly atop a bull she has subdued.

I make choices that stand in for emotional states, figuratively and materially - via marks from atmospheric firings, surfaces that reflect organic qualities, and textures that reference natural processes. My intent is for one to imagine the atmosphere around the figure as a reflection of what is happening inside the body and mind.

Working with clay is a lot like a stream of consciousness writing. I am in the moment with the thoughts and emotions as they are given shape. I am constantly trying to capture an emotion or a moment, to find a way to reflect on the process of living.

A birth of a new vision, a fertile strong mother smiling in the face of her mortality. She transcends this as a goddess that weighs her decisions and attachments against a feather. Many of the objects are from my family members, honoring life cycles, mythological archetypes, and the balance of dualities.