Yorktown, IN ARTIST STATEMENTMy most recent series combines flower/botanical forms with fragments of the human body in order to address the narrative of human life cycles: growth, metamorphosis, aging, and death. The choice to use flower and plant forms is multi-layered. Flowers have been used throughout history as symbols of the feminine: ‘she is as delicate as a flower.’ It can be found in mythology, literature, folklore and visual art. Western culture has an intricate system of flower symbolism that has been a way for humans to express and communicate complex emotions. I am interested in using these symbolic references in order to talk about issues of gender and identity. I am interested in exploring these ideas of gender through the vehicle of traditional craft media, including china painting on porcelain, vitreous enamel, felting, and polymer clay. These mediums have, at certain points throughout history, been marginalized and largely occupied by the hands of women. The history of these materials creates an interesting lens through which to interpret the work. I created these works to be intentionally humorous. These human/plant hybrids are large, voluptuous, headless, and armless. The flower forms become a negation, a censoring or denial of what lies beneath. These anthropomorphic beings are at once, powerful and powerless, beautiful and absurd, inflated, and amputated. BIOGRAPHYJessica Calderwood is an image-maker and sculptor that works primarily with the medium of metal and enamel. She uses a combination of traditional and industrial metalworking processes as a means to make statements about contemporary life. Her works are imbued with personal stories and vibrant color. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA from Arizona State University, with an emphasis Metalworking. Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and internationally in curated and juried exhibitions. She has participated in artist residencies with the John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Program and the Mesa Arts Center. Her work has also been published in Metalsmith Magazine, American Craft, NICHE, Ornament, the Lark 500 series, and the Art of Enameling. She has been an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh since 2008.