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The Cultural House of Cards 2014, Aluminum and Paint, 16’ x 10’ x 3’ -
The symbols on the backs of the cards represent communities coming together and the structures created by these connections. -
The face side of the cards represent the individuals that make up the community and the patterns that tie them to the present and past. -
The cards in the paint booth after being clear coated -
Master painter Jonathan Ariola helping me show off his great paint job -
Installing the top section of the Cultural House of Cards -
With my helpers Scott Wipff and Brian Perry after the installation
This house of cards symbolizes the fragile cultural structure we build together in our societies, and the beauty within each part of it.
The Green Hill School is juvenile detention/education center in Chehalis, WA. The serenity and calm of the grounds are a stark contrast to the situations and circumstances that have led the residents to this place. Like a house of cards made of souls the residents are here to rebuild a life that has fallen down around them. The Cultural House of Cards sculpture is inspired by that idea because the whole point of this place is not as much to punish as it is to help give someone another chance. A house of cards is made of many individual cards that each has to do its duty to uphold its corner of the structure. The back of each card blends all of these designs and is framed with columns that represent justice and structure. There are four face cards in this deck and their designs are drawn from the corners of the world and from traditional motifs indigenous to Washington State. Though no deck of cards can have a face to represent each and every person in this diverse world, this deck reflects large and relevant hemispheres of our world to relate them to the residents here. The entire house of cards is made from painted aluminum.
Public Art Program: Washington State Arts Commission