So Much to Contemplate

Artist / Maker Linda Lewis (American)

Date2016

MediumClay

Dimensions23 × 12 × 16 in. (58.4 × 30.5 × 40.6 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineAcquisition to the Art on Campus Collection by Dsn S 145x, Diversity in Art, Spring 2017 with funding provided by Kathy and John Howell. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2017.388

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextArtist Statement: I believe storytelling connects us to one another and explains who we are. Working for several decades as an educator, being a parent and working with adults strengthened my desire to express common threads of the human experience and honed my use of imagery and gesture as powerful narrative tools. Working with clay allows me to create a world in which a story can unfold. I work with the human form because while the figure can be approachable, the presentation of its inner psyche is infinitely complex. The pieces become a bit like three-dimensional watercolors– fluid, textural & spontaneous - providing enough details to draw the viewer in but leaving individual interpretation. Class Statement: Art observes greater meaning, expresses deeper ideas, and spreads knowledge and awareness. Art opens up dialogue. This sculpture can represent a part of everyone. At times, we use logic and reasoning to come to a conclusion and other times we use creativity and imagination. Both are essential and make every individual diverse. This sculpture represents what it feels like to be a person with any duality to their personal or professional life. Adding to the duality is the person’s expression and body language, which builds an image that many people can consciously and subconsciously resonate with. In the end, it’s our experiences and our thoughts, which make us truly diverse. Conversations on how we view diversity within others and ourselves hopefully will arise with this sculpture, along with a gentle reminder that we all hold within us two different approaches to understand the world around us.

Locations