SHED: Patterns of lives

As we progress through life, as individuals and as a culture, we decide what to hold on to and what to let go of. As individuals we hold onto mementos that serve to remind us of specific experiences and moments in life. The passing of time shifts the importance of this ephemera and we let them go. Tastes evolve—clothing, hairstyles, music, and other material and spiritual things are cast aside and replaced by that which reflects who we are here and now. Even more challenging is when some of us must cast aside our nationalities, our homes, our family, and our friends. Some of us shed traits that served a particular age, and some of us are able to let go of mental and emotional anxieties and traumas that have eased with time. With great effort we cast away our preconceived notions, our biases, and even our world views. As a culture we agree on letting go of archaic, racist, and sexist attitudes. We believe that these decisions will create a stronger healthier community, only to be revised, released, and replaced again over time.

The reasons for these releases are varied but all are integral to our maturation and development as human beings and communities. We must remember that even though we shed and replace, everything remains part of our individual, social, and cultural tapestries—defining where we came from, who we were, who we are today, and who we can become.

This exhibit showcases works of collaged comercially printed paper ephemera. The works illustrate how all experiences make up individual lives through techniques of ripping, shredding, sewing, and gluing. Aspects of lives must be shed at times in order to grow as human beings. We believe that we can slough off these experiences easily but most times letting go is a struggle. Most experiences never leave entirely, thus shaping who we are and how we behave.