Statement about Safety Net:

This piece came about like a lot of my sculptures - in a roundabout way. I have been practicing floating and swimming for about a year and a half. I was never very comfortable around water because I was not a strong swimmer. Turns out, I couldn't float and never realized it. At the pool there's a net that hangs against the wall and as I practiced treading water, I admired its shape and how it just stuck out from the wall. I started thinking about how I could create a shape similar to it and what materials I could repurpose in the piece that would make interesting shadows. The problem-solving and construction of the piece were satisfying practices.

It usually takes me a little while to process current events and ideas before they make it into my art practice. As I worked to stay healthy, keep my family healthy, and participate as a global citizen this past year, I thought about the many different ideas and things that function as safety nets for all of us. Something as simple as a morning walk to take care of our bodies/minds, a weekly Zoom session with friends, a supplemental government check or aid from social services all function as a part of the safety net network. Our safety nets can be on an individual level, or function on a collective level. They can be physical or metaphorical. However they exist, they were put to the test in 2020.