Ice House Studios | August 2015

Artist Statement

Kintsukuroi translates to “golden repair” and is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. I first learned about this art form while at a conference for work, where I had the pleasure of hearing Chris Anderson (executive director of Male Survivor) speak and he ended his presentation with a slide depicting a kintsukuroi bowl. The metaphor in the context of his session was beautiful, inspiring, and gave me a renewed energy not only for my professional work at the Collins Center, but also for my art.

I have long believed growth and beauty come along with brokenness or it would otherwise be unbearable. The most interesting and genuine people I’ve ever met have walked through a lot of darkness and managed to find hope amidst it all. Scars share the story of where we have been and what we have lived through, yet so many of them remain invisible. I don’t believe my pain or struggle is unique, but that my experiences share threads that run through all of humanity.

I don’t believe the location of or the unexpected inspiration for this exhibit was an accident. My first experience with Pilates and Breathe came at a particularly hard time in my life when I struggled to find anything positive to focus on. The balance and relationships I gained here during a time I felt incredibly broken have been and continue to be invaluable to my journey.

This exhibit is loosely inspired by kintsukuroi, a love of giving old and discarded things new life, and a strong belief that the acknowledgement and understanding of our paralleled experiences can change the world.

This show was on display at Ice House Studios during August 2015.