The Spider's Salon
Inspired by spider silk, shadows of plants, spiders' hiding places, and the way they move, adapt, and survive, I investigated spiders in ceramic in the summer of 2011. They have been guiding my life in many ways ever since. When I began this investigation, I was thinking about gender and sexual identity, and how both the queer community and spiders have had to adapt, show resilience, and learn to survive in many places where others fear and loathe them. I named the show "Aunt Nancy's Salon" originally-- a South Carolinian adaptation of the trickster god, Anansi, from the Akan-speaking slaves that were brought there. At the time I did not recognize how I was exploring themes important and sacred to the African diaspora as well. While I very much appreciate what I have learned about Anansi, I have dropped the original name because I think it was an appropriation of experiences I haven't had.
The pictures below show the process and setup for developing tthis work. It was shown for the MAT Graduate Exhibition, Amalgamate, from November 4-13, 2011.
The pictures below show the process and setup for developing tthis work. It was shown for the MAT Graduate Exhibition, Amalgamate, from November 4-13, 2011.