Andrea Olmstead

Young men are bound by social norms and biases about who they’re supposed to become. They’re also bound to break free from that which binds them. This is a coming of age portrait influenced by Baroque sculpture which I studied on a recent trip to Italy.

I see women as resilient, fierce, and courageous, and I wonder how the story of women in sculpture could change. Environ depicts a woman sitting slightly above her lover. Her dress, like armor, surrounds and protects him with an endless amount of fabric. She has created an environment for them both.

After becoming a mother, I felt a deep-rooted fear and vulnerability for my children’s safety, wherever danger might come from. However, I also began to recognize a primal fury in myself to protect my children that matched the ferociousness of any alligator. I believe this strength is not something new brought on by having children, but an inherent power unburied and rediscovered that all women carry.