Grandstand

Grandstand 
2014, Steel, Repurposed Bleacher Wood
MFA Exhibition, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado

My practice is an exploration of the relational structures that either oppress or empower others to experience the worth and weight of their voice in the context of what Dr. Martin Luther King popularized as the “Beloved Community.”

Grandstand brings together my interests in the formal object, performance strategies, and social concerns of my practice. By creating a large-scale work that activates within the institution, Grandstand affirms the value of a reflective experience yet remains tethered to pragmatic aspirations. Structurally mirroring Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” Grandstands presents embedded American ideals of self-actualization through a veil of advocacy. Stratified bleachers create a space projecting a desire for enlightenment mediated by the contexts that audiences choose to support, celebrate and give their allegiance. Viewers are invited to embody the role and privilege of the spectator while also considering its limitations.