Using the Master's Tools

Using the Master's Tools
copper wire and nylon string in shadowbox purchased from Hobby Lobby with receipt
5" x 7" x 2"
2015

I created this piece in response to the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision, which has resulted in women having their birth control options dictated by ideology and not biology. As a woman of childbearing age, I am infuriated. I see what Hobby Lobby has done as an act of great sexism and cruelty, and it has terrible repercussions for all of us, no matter where we work. I decided to use craft supplies I purchased from Hobby Lobby subversively, fashioning copper beading wire and nylon beading string into a replica of an IUD, a contraceptive device that the company’s health care plan forbids. “Using the Master’s Tools” is a reference to a quote by feminist scholar Audre Lorde, “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change."


It will be part of a show at Woman Made Gallery in November called The Power and Politics of Anger. Here's the curator's statement:

Anger is typically stigmatized as an inarticulate, childish, excessive and undesirable emotion to have or express. Yet anger also has the power to mobilize people, to spur individuals into taking action to try and influence situations that may otherwise seem beyond their control. Anger’s effects can be profound: the emotion may lie dormant inside an individual or within an entire generation for decades, slowly building in intensity until it explodes in the form of protests, riots, or war. The Power and Politics of Anger investigates both the positive and negative role that anger plays in art, culture, politics, and everyday life. We seek works in all media that address questions such as: What does anger look like? Is there an “aesthetics” of anger? How is anger registered in works of art through content and/or form? How does identity—gender, race, socioeconomic status—influence social and cultural perceptions of anger as well as an individual’s right to express it? When is anger attractive? When is anger sexualized? When does anger create vulnerability? What is the role of anger in community building? When is anger healthy and generative? How can anger be leveraged to foster well-being?

I am really looking forward to seeing what the other artists have contributed. It's such a powerful theme. The show will begin with an opening reception on Friday, November 13th from 6-8 p.m. It will run until December 18th.

Address: 685 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60642
Gallery Hours: Wed-Fri: 11am – 6pm Sat-Sun: 12pm – 4pm