Artist Statement
My steel sculptures are visual interpretations of actual articles of clothing that I use to express gender stereotypes. I employ social and cultural constructs to drive my work, focusing on uniting culturally labeled "feminine forms" with culturally labeled "masculine materials." In doing so, relationships arise in the sculptures uniting divergent themes; female and male, fragile and strong, delicate and sturdy.
I've been asked what role the elements of fashion, apparent in my work, serve to inform my concept. I do not have a strong enthusiasm for fashion nor am I an avid follower of fashion trends. Given this, why does my work have an apparent connection to fashion? I use garments as vehicles for expressing forms that are feminine social constructs. Dresses, shoes, hats and other accessories "make the woman." These steel garments either have the ability to be worn or reference something wearable. This ability to be worn conceptually creates objects of embodiment, a personal suit of armor, now complete with stell garments from head to toe. Do maintaining elegance, beauty and my femininity while wearing these cold, rigid, steel garments conceal or erase the masculine social construct of the steel?
The steel garments are usually restricting and binding, often affecting mobility thus making them impractical. The lack of mobility references the restrictions created by gender roles and stereotypes. In this society, metal fabrication in viewed as a male profession. This explains the fact that most people are surprised to learn that I fabricate and weld steel sculptures. Why is it such a surprise? This is due to societal programming. Metal fabricators are supposed to be male. After seeing a photograph of
Geared Up, one person asked who the model was, assuming the girl in the dress could only be a model and not the metal fabricator.
I am not offended, given the understanding that this is how we a programmed to think. I still catch myself being influenced by cultural brainwashing. Instead of becoming angry, I feel more frustrated, which motivates me to use my work as educational pieces, bringing awareness to these gender stereotypes and their deeper implications. I want to show that it is possible to step outside of these gender roles. By maintaining my femininity, I think the masculine label of the steel has been erased, which proves that the constructs, however strong, are not everlasting and permanent. Progression in society has proven to weaken these social constructs but has yet to eliminate them.
Certain construction firms that receive federal or state funding are required to meet race-based as well as gender-based hiring quotas. Although I think there were good intentions in giving certain groups of people opportunities in job fields that are dominated by a single group, I do not agree with achieving equal opportunity in this approach. I do not wish to be hired because I am a female, who is only needed to meet a quota to recieve federal funding. I want to be hired because I am more qualified than the other applicants. I am not deserving of a job unless I can prove myself capable of meeting the requirements and qualifications needed for that job.
Here is the latest piece in the Steel Wall Structure series. My aim is to construct a piece that embraces both feminine and masculine qualites. In doing so, juxtaposing ideas arise between the material being used, which is steel, and the volumptous fabric-like form; rigid and fluid, static and movement, harsh and soft.
