Artist Statement
I combine feminist thought and action with traditional metalsmithing techniques and abandoned textiles to create jewelry and body adornment. The neglected jacket, woolen skirt, or pants suit is rich in potential as a raw material, but first I disassemble it stitch by stitch. The act of taking apart a garment is slow, methodical, and intentional. Each unstitched seam further guides me in upsetting prevailing familial and social expectations. The undoing of trauma and inherited gendered roles is fulfilled through the garments demise. Yet, there is beauty in its destruction; holes are repaired, and rips are mended; conveying the emotional and mental work that I have undertaken to move beyond the confines of destructive familial patterns and expectations. The process of disassembling clothing serves as both a metaphor and a physical tool for me to amend the harmful expectations of femininity and motherhood that have been placed upon me. Seeking my materials in thrift stores allows me to honor the resourcefulness I learned from my parents in a blue-collar upbringing while also speaking to the desire to glean what others have discarded. Through the jacket or skirt’s transformation from protection to adornment, I subvert its original function and allow the wearer to objectify the necklace, brooch, or earrings thus, re-contextualizing the historical and socioeconomic expectations of the garment.