The Tribe: Talismans, Amulets, and Objects of Remembrance: MFA Thesis - Metal

Abstract

Motif-laden and anecdotal, my current works are a series of artifacts from The Tribe. The Tribe was born out of the West Desert and contemporary hunting culture, its shaman the rabbit and its oracle the magpie. Tapping into myths, Norse, Native American, and personal, my works are a reflection of childhood experiences and the rambling landscapes of western Utah. In the creation of these artifacts I grapple with notions of hunting, gathering, and storytelling, attempting to reconcile the misconceptions about what it is to be a hunter today. I attempt to form new material allegiances, each component a place marker coming together to complete the narrative. By combining natural, archaic materials with technologies of contemporary rural culture I present to a demographic that is often overlooked. I make adornment for The Tribe, about and for the contemporary hunter-gatherer.