Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art

Department

Art

First Reader/Committee Chair

Gray, Katherine

Abstract

My artwork emerges from moments of emotional and physical violence—both small and large. Although rooted in my lived experience, the truths I tell in my work are far from unique. Violence often hides in plain sight, buried in the mundane spaces of daily life. Through ceramic sculpture, I spotlight these moments, inviting viewers into a world that is familiar and simultaneously unsettling.

Scale plays a crucial role in this narrative—objects shrink or expand based on their emotional gravity, their object authority, or my own relationship to them. By amplifying the small and shrinking the overwhelming, I reshape how viewers interact with these forms, shifting the relationship between the human body and the work. A full-scale piece may trick the eye with its authenticity, while a miniature scene creates a more distant, voyeuristic experience. This manipulation of scale serves a dual purpose: it renders the unbearable more digestible, and the overlooked impossible to ignore.

Beneath the discomfort, there’s always a layer of whimsy that cushions the subject matter and acts as an invitation to lean in closer. I want viewers to feel what they feel: unease, rage, tenderness, humor, or joy. There’s no one way to engage. Instead, I offer a space to confront, reflect, and maybe even recognize something that’s been quietly living in your own walls.

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