Artist Statement

Monuments to the oppressors of the past have come down all over our country.  Marches and rallies help us unite in the causes of social justice, but it is time for a monument that honors a more just and equitable future. In 2020, I built a pedestal for the “Monument to the Future” and brought it into local communities.

In public spaces, the pedestal beckons individuals to become a living monument by mounting steps to the top of the pedestal, striking a heroic pose, and making a public pledge to a better future. Participants pledge to help stop climate change; take actions for social justice; run for office; live compassionately;  educate for the future; raise the next generation to live responsibly; become anti-racist; protect, feed, and house the most vulnerable members of our society; or to take hundreds of other actions that can make for a better world. Inspired by Mel Chin’s Philadelphia installation “Two Me” this pedestal has been installed in public spaces in 2020 and 2021 pointing people to a thoughtful relationship with our future, rather than glorification of a dubious past. In this way the artist encourages social change, in individuals and within local communities.

Artist Statement

“Encore Power” is viewer interactive. Images of powerful women of the past are painted on plywood panels with cutouts allowing visitors to stand behind them and insert their faces for photo ops.

Virginia Woolf
Wearing: Waders & inflatable life-vest, also, a large sunhat
Accessories: Swim-mask and water test kit (no rocks in her pockets)
Encore: Virginia is an environmentalist on the sloop, Clearwater, cleaning up the Hudson River

Harriet Tubman
Wearing: Camo & bullet-proof vest
Accessories: English to Spanish dictionary and night-vision binoculars, carries a small child.
Encore: Harriet is helping those seeking asylum at the U.S. border

Frida Kahlo
Wearing: traditional Tehuana flowing skirt and top, floral head-piece, and an above-the-knee prosthesis
Accessories: portable easel, paints. and brushes
Encore: Frida teaches art to Indigenous Americans in the Southwest and is a fierce advocate for people with disabilities.

Fannie Lou Hamer
Wearing: jacket and dress of traditional West African mud cloth, sandals, and sun hat
Accessories: Water cups and pitcher
Encore: Mrs. Hamer is distributing water to Georgians waiting in line to vote.

“Encore” Monologues
The women in these 4 panels were brought to life in monologues performed by local actors and written by Mara Mills, Artistic Director of Studio Theater in Exile at Hudson Valley MOCA in 2022 and at the Hammond Museum in North Salem, NY in 2021.