Words on Recent Work:

Finding Solace (2021)

Currently on view at Portland State University’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

**Photographic Documentation Coming Soon**

The work Finding Solace (2021) centers around my experience dealing with the massive societal shifts brought upon by the pandemic and tumultuous sociopolitical climate. Each piece addresses major themes that I, and many others, have been confronted with throughout the course of this pandemic. Heavy topics like isolation, domesticity, anxiety, and mortality are all explored in my work through the lens of play therapy.

For context, play therapy is the strategic use of play as a therapeutic means of expression, adaptation, healing, and cognitive development. The target audience for play therapy has historically been younger children, however, I believe that the power of play can be beneficial to people of all ages.

With this work, I am contesting the social expectations that accompany age by creating my own series of tools that playfully assist in relieving and resolving burdensome feelings and experiences caused by these unusual times. In using toys to examine adult issues, I am deconstructing the implicit guard that accompanies maturity, allowing myself to freely experience the emotive, uncontrolled nature of youthfulness, while still retaining the wisdom earned through age.

An example of this is my teddy bear purse. It maintains a duality of being a mature, utilitarian object, as well as a comforting memento of childhood. The purse is not a fashion statement, but rather a tool to combat social anxiety. As I venture out into a world of uncertainty, I can use it as a tangible de-stressor that is disguised as an aesthetic choice.

Similarly, my coat of stuffed animals serves as wearable reassurance. When I feel overwhelmed by the persistent and disheartening news that flood the airways, I put on my stuffed animal coat as a way to soothe myself. The encompassing weight and warmth feels like a hug, while the colorful and cheery appearance of the toys makes the dismal state of the world seem a little brighter.

In conjunction, the books made from dinosaurs each touch on death and mass mortality. These books help me come to terms with the millions of deaths worldwide caused by COVID. I use dinosaurs because of their status in our culture as the poster children of an era lost. They prompt me to remember that where one life ends, another begins.

Additionally, the collaged dollhouse and doll furniture speak to the new perspective in which I view possessions and domesticity. The stay at home order given at the beginning of the pandemic forced me to reevaluate the spaces I occupy and the objects I surround myself with. It made me question the factors that turn a curated structure into a place of security, relief, and enjoyment, and reconsider what “home” really means.

Lastly, the assortment of wax doll heads placed within their own individual compartment attest to the wide spread isolation that has been felt throughout the course of this pandemic. In ways it is my own visual representation of the “alone together” mantra. Each head stands alone, in their own space, experiencing the same sense of isolation in different ways. They remind me that I am not the only one struggling, and that my feelings of loneliness and uncertainty are shared by people all over the world.

This body of work has helped me cope with both personal and societal change. The process of creating these pieces have guided me to a place of better understanding the new normal and my new self. They have allowed me to dismantle traditional coping mechanisms and find a source of reasoning that works for me.