McNeely Family Artist Residency

"Domestic objects fulfill multiple functions. They may be seemingly utilitarian and provide context for social connection and interaction. Yet, upon closer examination, they often function as containers that hold irony, meaning and narrative.
 
"My work embraces art making as an accessible way to address the issues and impacts of climate change that are often hidden and hard to grasp.  I collect and repurpose once used commercial packages as a way to reimagine and invent vessels and domestic objects infused with a new visual language, meaning and purpose. I hope that this way of making and material engagement will lead us to a better understanding of the relationship between the present climate change and our current consumption patterns. This way, my work may offer a positive, tangible response that not only underscores our contributions to global climate change, as in activism, but also provides a healthier channel to reduce anxiety that may surround the ever-growing climate crisis.   

"All the while, my work is entirely and speculatively utilitarian, full of irony and, I hope, beauty.  It has a potential for holding memories of time and space, therefore, a history of us and for carrying personal meaning even to those users who select to use my work. Utilitarian vessels have a capacity to create space and be a witness for celebrating life as well as context to grieve and cherish life as in passing or death."