Artist Statements

In my work I use remnants that connect to nostalgic and adverse memories. Arranging bones, animal hair, wood fragments, wax, and other various found and fabricated materials, I preserve these memories as tangible documentation. 

I am aesthetically attracted to the way architectural palimpsest (original manuscript parchment and tablets) record, erase, and re-record the ideas of the past. The raw, honest expression of Jean Dubuffet and Art Brut inspire my approach to making, as does the symbolist poetry of William Blake and Arthur Rimbaud.

​​Stephan Dobosh

My work is based on themes of abandonment and loss, which stem from a complicated family history. I am deeply influenced by what is deteriorating, not only around the world, but also in metaphors pertaining to memory. These deteriorations indicate a sense of failure, which is a constant within the imagery of my artwork. I use readily accessible images from the internet and try to dissect them to find what is truly at the core of each photograph, cutting away the excess to reveal what I perceive to be the truth.

Through the meticulous act of cutting, I relive memories, both my own and those passed down through family genealogy. Using images that are common in the public domain makes them familiar to the viewer, leaving room for interpretation and the possibility of emotional closeness and engagement.        

​Alexandra Coultas

Throughout history, ceramic pots have contained life-sustaining food and liquid or mementos to soothe the psyche. Similarly, a woman's body holds life, provides nutrition, and is an aesthetic embodiment of beauty.

In my claywork and large fabric installations, I explore the vessel as a metaphor for the female body. My aim is to create sacred objects and peaceful spaces where the viewer can feel the affirming connection between the earth and the body.

​Marcia Rae