Thoughts and Prayers
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Thoughts and Prayers
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Thoughts and Prayers is a free-motion embroidery piece that reflects on the concept of time through the evolving expression of a phrase often invoked in moments of crisis. Inspired by a video I created documenting the writing of “thoughts and prayers,” the work captures the shift from calm to chaos as the letters become increasingly agitated, angry, and difficult to read. This transformation parallels the emotional weight carried by the phrase, particularly in the context of mass shootings. By translating the final image from the video into embroidery, I explore how time influences our responses to tragedy, critiquing the stagnancy of mere lip service in the face of pressing social issues.
I Learn to Remember to Not Forget
Laser cut on slate chalkboard, chalk
H. 36 x W. 60"
2023
The year I became a classroom teacher was 1999, the same year as the Columbine school shooting in Colorado. Since that time there have been over 377 shootings in schools. These traumatic events have caused deep emotional and physical scars. Each of these slate chalkboard panels is laser cut with a phrase spoken by either a student, a teacher, or a 911 operator during a school shooting that occurred at one of the following schools: Sandy Hook Elementary School, Sandy Hook, Connecticut (2012) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida, (2018) and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas (2022).
Each phrase is covered with chalk dust.
Laser cut on slate chalkboard, chalk
H. 36 x W. 60"
2023
The year I became a classroom teacher was 1999, the same year as the Columbine school shooting in Colorado. Since that time there have been over 377 shootings in schools. These traumatic events have caused deep emotional and physical scars. Each of these slate chalkboard panels is laser cut with a phrase spoken by either a student, a teacher, or a 911 operator during a school shooting that occurred at one of the following schools: Sandy Hook Elementary School, Sandy Hook, Connecticut (2012) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida, (2018) and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas (2022).
Each phrase is covered with chalk dust.
Incoming Calls, 2023
Laser cut on slate chalkboard, chalk
3 - H. 18" x W. 24" each
Laser cut on slate chalkboard, chalk
3 - H. 18" x W. 24" each