Description
For my MFA thesis exhibition, I produced Origins and Endings, a narrative driven body of printmaking, artist’s books, and photographic work based on the examination of our ecological landscape, and what it reveals about our society and relationship to our psyche and body. Origins and Endings was exhibited in the University Gallery at San Diego State University’s School of Art + Design, San Diego, California from April 30th - May 9th, 2019. The exhibition consisted of twenty-seven copper plate etchings, five artist’s books, and twenty-five framed etchings. This intimate work was inspired by poetry, memory, and contemplation of our environment that bears the scars of inheritance. The work delves into the unknown of our future world and investigates past experiences and landscapes: imagined, natural and built, that holds memory in its layers. The unfolding moments of discovery and the process of creating artist’s books reveal what is below the surface of my memory. I am digging into my own experiences and peeling away the layers of harm endured. The connection between place, body and memory integrate into metaphors of the places we erase due to our continued environmental degradation. This research constitutes an artistic exploration through artists’ book and print. This writing considers the processes, influences, and the philosophies that affected my development as a graduate student. Going forward, it is my hope to become an advocate for domestic abuse survivors and show them they have a voice through art making. The DVD, a digital appendix to the project, is available for viewing in the Media Center of The Love Library at San Diego State University.
