Name/Title
Still We RiseEntry/Object ID
2024.72.01Artwork Details
Medium
stoneware, glaze, underglaze, resin, clay epoxy, polymer clay, Ballpoint pen, pencil, fabricContext
Email correspondence from the artist dated October 2, 2025
"This piece is very different from my other work. I created it while in graduate school, and while my sculptures usually take about a week to build and a month to complete, this one took a few months to make and nearly half a year to complete. The subject matter felt so intense that at times I had to cover the piece with a cloth just to be able to work in the same studio.
The figure became a personification of what I was experiencing at the time, the feeling of being broken yet still enduring, as a young woman coming to understand how dangerous the world can be. One night, overwhelmed by the process, I made the decision to slake the clay back into water. My intention was to dissolve the entire piece, to make it disappear.
What I didn’t expect was that a group of women, my classmates, slowly emerged from their studios and silently helped me carry the piece into the bucket of water. Together we watched as the figure slaked down from the feet up to the waist.
That moment marked a turning point. I realized I had healed enough to keep what remained. The fractured, irregular edges at the bottom are literal traces of that decision. Even though the figure has no lower body, she stands as a symbol of persistence and renewal.
I titled her Still We Rise because despite being incomplete and scarred, she embodies the hope that continues to rise out of hopelessness."
I’ve also attached an image from that night, when my classmates and I carried the piece to the bucket. I thought it might be meaningful for you to see that part of the process." The artist sent photos of the work as it appeared at an earlier stage as a full figure sculpture.Dimensions
Height
31 inWidth
20 inDepth
14 inExhibition
Icons, Archetypes, and Portraits: From the Mythic to the Everyday