plaster, porcelain slip cast, plexiglass, sourced topsoil
artist’s father’s shirts
performance, bucket, shovel, dirt
This work investigates the idea of an “honest days work” and the discrepancies between what our parents wished for us and the beliefs they instilled in us.
I began by investigating the work of Studs Terkel in his book, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. I noticed a trend in the interviews with blue collar workers: the desire for their children to go into a different, less physically laborious field of work, but to retain a sense of pride and understanding for the work of their fathers.
With this in mind, I strove to convey my appreciation for my father’s work. Knowing that he, too, wanted a better life for me and my sister, I half-heartedly understood that I should continue down my path of academia. Despite this understanding, years of being told that struggle builds character, that the amount you sweat determines your caliber of work, and that the wealthy were not to be trusted or admired, I am still coming to terms with my choices.