“Love Story, Part I” is a sculpture composed of two figures made from plumbing pipe of various sizes and colors as well as window screen, aluminum clamps, grey vinyl and black hosiery. This is one expression of this artist’s own journey in identity; how clothing and physical posture and presence determine gender and societal roles, and how the presence of ‘the other’ says who one is. These questions are not answered wholesale in the completion of the project; they merely direct the internal dialogue to a new horizon.

“Love Story, Part II” is a conventional wedding album with images of married couples at various stages of their celebrated weddings. Each image is overlaid with bold red letters as social commentary, as it relates to the reality of marriage, and relationships, and the commercial industry that promotes them.

“Love Story, Part III” is a sculptural composition of three vignettes. The first is silver heating duct which is straddling a table and stretched to the floor via hosiery. The second is hosiery stuffed with electric cable. The third is hosiery stuffed with chopped up electrical wiring. Each is a contemplation of the roles one assumes in relationships as it relates to masculinity and femininity and how some struggle with these delineations.Tim DuffyOctober & November 2009

The artwork that I have created explores the reality of enslaved human beings in the world and the stages of life through layers. There are millions of slaves unaccounted for but provide many of our day-to-day necessities. The materials that I have chosen to use come from everyday materials that potentially could have been produced by slave labor. The works that I have produced convey objects that are enclosed and can visually be seen but tangibly can never be touched or reached, which resembles the subjectivity of human slaves. There are physical, emotional, and psychological barriers that entrap them in a dark world. They are visible to the public audience; however, we alone cannot stop the sufferings of these courageous men, women, and children.

I enjoyed using a layering effect to question as well as explore the depths of a muted social group and the levels of complexity in a human life. The stages of life are represented through the process of existence, decay, and reinvention. Anything can be seen for its living capability, followed by its deterioration, but then it can be revitalized into something beautiful. I utilize manufactured goods to contain the natural products creating an impermeable surrounding. Tiffany Chen

This piece of art is a stick lying on its side. I found the stick on the side of the road in a pile of yard waste. This piece fits the category of found object art, and is constructed from the materials of my everyday environment. At the same time it has a finished look that makes it seem more suited for display on a bookcase than in a pile of trash.

As my sculpture developed the piece of wood became more “refined” with the removal of the bark and a light sanding. At the same time the origin of the object became more obscured as the saw marks and uneven ends were smoothed out. It no longer will fit in with the other pieces of the tree in that corner of the suburban yard. With further buffing and oiling the stick acquires a tactile quality that makes it stand out even more.

I chose the holy stick because it has a distinctive smooth grain. It tends to crack when it dries so it has the appearance of being fragile, but the wood is so dense it can achieve a smooth polish. The uniform ivory color makes the stick stand apart from other wooden objects. It is an object that one wants to hold and cherish if only to find out if it feels as nice as it looks.

Wood serves many different functions in our society from particle board crates, to walnut bureaus and ebony artifacts. I am interested in how presentation affects the meaning of wood as a material. A stick lying on the ground is yard waste, but a stick that is stuck in the ground is now a marker or a stake. My goal in this sculpture is to create something elegant and expressive without altering the overall shape and texture of a discarded stick. Ryan Czekanski-MoirStick (Holy Bough)2009, wood