BFA Senior Thesis Art Exhibition
Mixed Media Sculptor:
Photo Transfer and Found Object
“Grandma’s Chair:
I’ll Be Your Hands, I’ll Be Your Feet; Will You Please Be My Heart.”
Read the story about this piece by clicking this link.
I’ll be your hands.
You can be my speech.
I’ll do all I can, for you.
I’ll be your feet.
You can be my mind.
I’ll keep carrying on for you.
I’ll be your hands.
You can be my heart.
Will you please be my heart.
I’ll be your hands,
I’ll be your feet —
Will your please be my heart?
“My Home is a Gym, But My Heart is a Book.”
“I’m Trying to Relate, I Just Don’t Know How.”
“Snow Fort: On an Island of Misfit Toys.”
“Battling the Monotonous”
“Generations: Finding Purpose Amidst the Raspberry Patch.”
“Home is Forever In Transit, As Are We.”
Found Object Photography Series
“Fragment”
“Refract”
“Disperse”
“Reflect”
Visual Poetry
The visual poetry I create and the process in which I create are contingent on relationships. I have personified each piece into a significant individual, memory, or experience. The objects reflect dialogue within itself and within the space.
The process of photo transferring my childhood images onto worn pages of books is tedious and rhythmic. There is tension in the constant opportunity for damage and error. I am required to adapt to the mistakes and successes that direct my next step. As I peel away the covering layers of paper and the image slowly emerges, I am reflecting on the people, the memory, and the emotion of each picture as well as my present struggles and joys. When the transfer is complete, I page through National Geographic Magazines to find a portrait that relates to my childhood image. I continue making new connections as I learn from what I stumble upon. Through this process of searching and discovering, I am connecting my experiences to universal human experiences and making sense of the complexities of human relationships.
The found objects in my work have been discarded and overlooked. This characteristic draws my attention in its vulnerability and quiet beauty. The architecture is seemingly waiting to be acknowledged and admired. The way in which my installations are displayed are visually precarious. Each piece is displayed at a tipping point. This vulnerability and tension signifies the fragility of relationships and memories.
The space I have created signifies the way I separate myself in order to process, reflect, and connect. The atmosphere is intended for peace and quiet contemplation in the midst of chaos. Chaos from striving and clatter that is characteristic of our fast-paced culture.
My work is a tangible embodiment of how relationships affect how I see the world, what I create, and who I am.
Process of Impact:
A Written and Visual Encounter
“In the Valley” is a Creative Nonfiction novel that I began in the fall of 2015. At the “Process of Impact” exhibition, I displayed ten chapters of this piece in a quiet bedroom space with large open windows. On the bedside tables I placed a number of quotes on note cards that I felt best represented the book and the chapter themes.
My book is scheduled to release in 2020.
“I am trying to relate, I just don’t know how.” Reaching. 45
“It is in my loneliness that I realize I am not alone.” Strife. 13
“But most of all, she knew how to love with abandon.” Bleach. 51
“The subtle sound made me homesick for my stereo of nature’s symphony and my bed of billowing nylon.” Bleach. 50
“Memories retained by the floors of dirt, walls of rough granite, and door frames of pines. Words kept secret in surrounding bark, footprints witnessed by the moon alone. Dragonfly. 43
“But maybe it is when we want nothing more than to run in the opposite direction that we ought to face the giant head on.” Breakdown. 10
“But in the midst of the desert, I still resist the thought of losing a part of me. Even if it is the very thing that brought me into the emptiness.” Strife. 15
“Somewhere along a wayward road I concluded that in order to be beautiful I had to wear a mask of long lashes, perfect skin, and bleach blonde hair. I’m trying to let all that go and discover the truth.” Reaching. 46
“May turned to June, which turned to July. The weeks flew by as the days dragged on. Identity. 1
The Creative Process
2017 Nebraska Independent College Foundation/O’Keefe Elevator Company Art Show
Omaha, Nebraska
Honorable Mention in the 2-D Artwork Category for “Contain”
Jordy Mack Art 