3D Studio Art - Ceramics
Five glazed ceramic skillets with white crocheted centers rest atop my childhood kitchen table, supported by three wooden legs and one terra cotta leg. The skillets and the table, being both physically strong objects, have been repaired and are no longer as sturdy as they once were. They sit at the four-way intersection of function, domesticity, craft, and art.
I am inspired by the way of life in rural communities where craft, such as woodworking and fiber arts, is a crucial part of a rich and dynamic culture of people who make these things to express and, more often, to improvise when commercial solutions are inaccessible financially or geographically. I choose to work in clay because of its physicality and connection to craft—how the word “handmade” becomes literal and laborious. In Fixin’, the use of ceramic pieces in the place of cast iron and wood is intended to highlight both the strength and fragility of the way of life in these communities, like the one I grew up in. I often use cast iron skillets as personifications of this because of their resilience and ability to last generations, but only if they are thoughtfully cared for. They are adaptable, much like working-class individuals. In this work, there are five skillets to represent the five members of my immediate family: myself, my parents, and my two stepsiblings. Each skillet is arranged to point, handle first, in the direction of where those family members are in relation to the location of the installation.
When thinking about generational crafts, it’s impossible to ignore the massive impact fiber art has had in rural communities: quilting, knitting, crocheting, and sewing, to name a few. My mom hemmed my pants and mended holes in our clothes. My granny crocheted wash cloths, blankets, and potholders. These traditionally feminine crafts stand the test of time, thus becoming similar to the skillets in their resiliency. My granny, myself, and generations of our family have been crocheted into this project.
It was by happy coincidence that the table I ended up with for this project was the table I grew up eating at, but it became so important to me to include the table and the crochet as odes to the women in my family and the women in the communities like mine. They are homemakers, mothers, grandmothers, bakers, fiber artists, caregivers, gardeners, and more. Often in these communities, women embrace the traditional roles in the household because it empowers them, and I would be doing a disservice to those strong and skilled women by not addressing those roles in my work. In this way, Fixin’ became a comment on class and labor as I attempted to give a voice to rural communities.
I chose to create an unstable appearance with the table; by having a ceramic leg, the table lost its structural integrity but still functioned as needed (with gentle care), similarly to the skillets. I found that the process of making a ceramic leg became connected to the craft of woodworking and woodturning which I always find myself drawn to, even in my pottery.
In making Fixin’, it was my goal to incorporate timeless traditions of craft into something that was undoubtedly art. Additionally, the name came to me as a celebration of accent: “I’m fixin’ to do something” and the literal meaning “to fix” something. In all, this work encapsulates everything I tried to escape from by coming to college in a bigger city, but throughout my undergraduate career, I have gained a new appreciation for my raising and the rich culture from which I came. Fixin’ is a love letter to that part of me.
"Fixin’", five glazed ceramic skillets with acrylic yarn centers; found table with a bisque ceramic leg; approx. 20 x 30 x 29.5 inches. 2021.
"Fixin’", five glazed ceramic skillets with acrylic yarn centers; found table with a bisque ceramic leg; approx. 20 x 30 x 29.5 inches. 2021.
"Fixin’", five glazed ceramic skillets with acrylic yarn centers; found table with a bisque ceramic leg; approx. 20 x 30 x 29.5 inches. 2021.
"Fixin’", five glazed ceramic skillets with acrylic yarn centers; found table with a bisque ceramic leg; approx. 20 x 30 x 29.5 inches. 2021.
"Fixin’", five glazed ceramic skillets with acrylic yarn centers; found table with a bisque ceramic leg; approx. 20 x 30 x 29.5 inches. 2021.
