Series: The Curious Preservation Of Useless Things

Americans consume and live among thousands of mass-produced objects. When trends change, these objects, each carrying layers of cultural and personal history, move to the next phase: the secondhand store. Thrift shops are both hunting grounds for assemblage materials, as well as anthropological gold mines. Fragments, found objects, chicken wire, bark and broken glass are re-imagined into raft-like mementos of nostalgia merged with climate anxiety.  These works examine what we preserve, what we discard, and the questionable values embedded in the objects we choose to keep.

	Rustic Chic Assemblage sculpture of a Cowboy and Indian framed print encrusted with bark and glass shards. A protective wrap of chicken wire encircles the framed relic. A stained blue and white ribbon suspends the artwork. Framed print, chicken wire, wood, bark, glass shards, paint, 30" x 30" x 4". Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.
	Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Assemblage sculpture of a water damaged winter photo with two ornate gold frame pieces secured on the sides to be the runners of a sled. A raft-like cushion made from vinyl and duct tape is attached below. Framed photo, oil cloth, tape, wire, frame remnants, paint, 20" x 11.5" x 2".  Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.
	One Armed Little Lady A one-armed ceramic figurine of an idealized young girl is preserved in a chicken-wire cage within a broken mirror, A painted and printed backdrop of a flower and hummingbird is askew behind her and the assemblage is distressed and aged to appear like an artifact found in the rubble of a flooded home. Found objects, framed mirror, chicken wire, ceramic figurine, paint, printed image and cardboard. 17.5” x 15” x 5”.
	I Will Always Love You Carefully preserved in a chicken wire cage, a badly stained and oxidized ceramic figurine of an idealized young woman gazes at her own image in a shattered and framed mirror. She stands against a neon green carved foam podium-like shape. Note: mirror reflects landscape beyond the assemblage from when the photo was taken and is a reflection, not part of the artwork. Found objects, framed mirror, chicken wire, ceramic figurine, paint and foam rubber. 13.5” x 13.5” x 4”.