Parable of the Hidden Maiden - 2017

is a site-specific installation completed at Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, Michigan. This work is dedicated to the women of color who are still suffering under modern-day slavery within the textile industry. Made from discarded clothing, pine, and wire, these floating boxes vaguely remind the viewer of a shipping crate, and their dilapidated state highlights the disregarded status of those whose hands labored to make this cheap clothing. The position of these boxes in the water, leading to the canoe, feels as if these entities just missed the boat or the lottery of being born in a richer country. Even in a global economy, it is possible to ignore the fact that human capital, especially in an industry that is heavily reliant on women of color’s labor, is the most valuable resource we have. If we do not cherish and protect our workers, who are we to benefit from the indignity of their exploitation?