A Serving of Empathy, 2024

A Serving of Empathy, my MFA Exhibition consists of two bodies of work: Potent Moments and Fragments of Memory .

Potent Moments is a series of sixteen ceramic plates capturing young people and their families during times of crisis, transition, and suspense. Drawn from my experiences as a high school art teacher, these modified plates serve as visual stories, inviting viewers to connect with the emotional depth of youth and their hidden struggles.

Fragments of Memory is a suite of five ceramic artworks that reconstruct my mother’s journey by train from Pense, SK, to Victoria, BC, in 1950 when she was fifteen. As I reconstruct my memory of her story, I explore the relationship between narrative content, memory, imagination, and perceptual position; examining how we try to inhabit and understand the experiences of others through imaginative means. Using conjoined ceramic forms, china-painted images, and ceramic shards, I create artworks that not only reconstruct what can be remembered but also describe the process of remembering

Additionally, the exhibition features an interactive work, "Carousel of Innocence", set on a low plinth in the centre of the gallery. This piece offers a moment of pleasure and rest , inviting viewers to reflect on their own childhood memories and spin the carousel.