What's your function?

It is curious to consider a particular audience when it comes to my work. For one thing, I use imagery and stories that come from my family history. There are pieces that members of my family recognize right away as some symbolic meaning of my father or other family jokes. However, my goal when creating the work is to use imagery that those outside of my family may create their own memories or find some significance in dissecting what remains in their minds. I want to be specific for my family, but also vague to other viewers. And I try to do this in my selection of imagery and text and use of domestic things: house, tablecloth, fabrics, textiles. I think I would want a critic to approach my work as a doorway into the viewpoint of the artist. The critic can use my work as an opportunity to learn more of the artist, where I come from, and how that may affect me today. It is an opportunity for research, detective work, and sharing memories. I hope that my work can ignite conversations of familiar things past. I am sharing my history with you and I would love you to share yours with me. I am interested in comment books at show openings and overhearing conversations.

I believe, in some way, the function of my art is the function of all art: research and experimentation. We are like scientists in the things we make. We set up a hypothesis or idea that creating this thing will say that thing, and then we follow through with the experiment. The theories we may discover can be up for discussion or peer review. Why must we insist on the separation of art and science? We use the same thought progress, follow-through, presentation, and follow-up. In a way, art is like theoretical physics, presenting new possible rules and ideas that have the option to be refuted, disputed, encouraged, or fought for.