Ode to Monitors -- Michelle

Everyone, meet Michelle.  She has been a monitor at Lillstreet for a long time and, most recently, is responsible for loading the glaze kiln on Wednesdays with Steve Acoba.  Michelle sent me an email to let me know that she recently completed her Art degree.  CONGRATULATIONS, Michelle. 

She also sent me the images below of her work in the "Cut From the Same Cloth" exhibition at Mercer University in Macon, GA.  

I see some Japanese inspiration particularly from the Oni lore but Michelle says that she does not associate any direct influence from any particular culture with these masks. Most of her travels have been in Spanish and European countries and S. America.  She also have an extensive art history background. So maybe I am just seeing something that Michelle have been influenced by but not aware of. 

The show ran from April 13 to the 19.  What an amazing body of work.  Thank you for sharing, Michelle. These masks are fantastic!

Michelle's statement for the show:-

Growing up and to this day we are constantly exposed to this idiom. As adolescents, I believe we take this literally in that “we” are alike in some way whether it is physically or behaviorally. Since moving away from the South, maturing, traveling and being exposed to other cultures “cut from the same cloth” has taken on a larger meaning.

The cloth represents shared values, beliefs, and norms that shape who we are. Although it is important to recognize this commonality, it is equally important to grow and become an individual. Each person reflects through personality and appearance the sum of their experiences. I found that sculptural representations evolve similarly. The majority of these faces were made from one single mold - the original cloth - the inner face of each piece. But, like humans, even though there is a common beginning, each piece took on a life of its own. Integrating organic media and ceramics, for me, is representative of the journey we take in the creation of our own being.

- Michelle L. Anderson

April 2014