At some point in my childhood, a neighbor of ours became a family friend. I don't recollect how that actually happened but at Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and all other family events, there was an extra seat at the table for a man named Jim.  As Jim got older (particularly in the last two years of his life) he distanced himself from our family and all our invitations for visits were not honored. Years ago, my mother had encouraged him to put our phone number in his wallet, "In case of emergency, please call this number."

One day, we received a call that Jim had died. Jim's landlord had found Jim in his apartment and didn't know who to contact until he found our number in his wallet.  My brother Joe handled all of Jim's affairs - his closest kin were out of the country and calls were made. Jim was cremated. Jim didn't have much and only certain items were shipped internationally to his very distant family.

Other items were donated to charity and Jim's mismatched set of silver made it's way to me. This piece entitled, "As One Door Closes, Another One Opens" is an homage to Jim Behan. It consists of his silver, some doorknobs, and the crankset from same bicycle whose parts were included in "Wheel In the Sky". Since silverware and bike parts don't typically indicate a passing of life, I included some animal antlers to make the connection. Rest in peace Jim. You will always be remembered.

Ever since my husband built the "His" shed and I have the  a 100% "Hers" shed, I've been able to organize my materials and objects in such a manner that I can actually see all the items that I've collected over the past 2 decades (maybe longer?!). In fact, looking at some of these objects, I know that I have moved them to the East Coast and back at least once.  That's somewhat crazy, but when you find stuff, I suppose it's worth it (at least it is to me).

With a full time job, it's been challenging to get into the studio to focus on the creative process... but today was a very good day. This piece, titled "Strapped" is the first piece created in my 100% "Hers" shed. It includes some belts, some bits of my back fence, and some other random objects... a handle, a hinge and a single electrode neon tube.

I've been feeling somewhat strapped lately for time, so this piece came to me straight away as I glanced the belts hanging from a hook in the corner. While belts aren't typically considered inviting, I think the piece somehow manages to be warm and inviting but definitely illustrates the idea (at least to me) that things are pulled together.

In 2001, I did a series of pieces called "Raging Baby Hormones". My biological clock was ticking and I kept hitting snooze.  In hindsight, this was a mistake.  It wasn't until 2011, 10 years later (and about 6 years too late), that I was ready and found out that I was not able to conceive naturally because my tubes are malformed. It's true. I'm a freak of nature on the inside and I've grown to own this truth. Bottom line, abortion laws have no effect on me because I didn't get a choice... and to this very moment, this bothers me.

I was raised by parents who encouraged me to pursue my dreams, whatever they might be; that a woman can do everything a man can do and if you ask my mother, she might say we can do many things better. :) (I love you mom!) I am successful in business and manage and lead a team of 14 developers. I can weld - TIG, MIG and ARC. I work in a male dominated industry: technology, and I'm pretty good at it. So when I was told I can't have a baby it was a bit hard for me to stomach.

It's for this reason that I am pro-choice. Personally, I am pro-life but politically, I understand that life is 100% complicated. So in the wake of life's more stressful moments that usually consist of the unexpected and some degree of tragedy, I think a woman should have the right to make the choice that's best for HER unique circumstances.

So when I saw a Call For Entries for a juried exhibition of art in support of women’s reproductive rights in the United States in observance of the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, I was inspired.

According to Guttmacher Institute 2012, "Reproductive health and rights was once again the subject of extensive debate in state capitols in 2012. Over the course of the year, 42 states and the District of Columbia enacted 122 provisions related to reproductive health and rights. One-third of these new provisions, 43 in 19 states, sought to restrict access to abortion services. Although this is a sharp decrease from the record-breaking 92 abortion restrictions enacted in 2011, it is the second highest annual number of new abortion restrictions."

It seems that women's reproductive rights will always be under siege and even though it won't impact my body and my life, I am passionate about this issue because it impacts my fellow women (and their daughters, or in some cases, granddaughters). Margaret Sanger said it best, “No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.” So... consider this piece my contribution to the fight for freedom for women. I say "my" but it's really "our" contribution.  This piece will reflect the voice of the collective; voices from the MANY woman in my life who I respect greatly and know personally. These woman have contributed a piece of their soul. This piece is personal, just like the right of choice should always be.

As a result, I am creating a piece specifically in honor of this exhibition. It is a piece that will contain quotes from women about choices they have made in their lives, or quotes about what having a choice means to them. 

How would you complete any of these sentences?

"I chose to have children because... "
"I chose not to have children because... "
"I chose to have an abortion because... "
"I chose IVF because..."
"I chose a surrogate because..."
"I chose IUI because..."
"I chose adoption because..."
"I didn't have a choice..."

What does Choice mean to you?

Because I just blasted this request out to 50 of my friends (who are amazing women BTW) who have questions...

FAQ
How long should the quote be?
Try and keep your quote under 100 words. If it's over send it anyway!

When do you need this by?
The sooner the better but no later than Labor Day weekend.

Do I complete one of the sentences or do I respond with that Choice means to me?
Either one is fine by me as I understand that this is a touch topic.  I only ask that you use the word choice, choose, chose, somewhere in your quote and even still, if those words aren't in there send me your contributions.

Can I email this to you?
Yes, you can email it to me either through my email address or the Contact Form on this website, you can text it to me, Facebook it to me, snail mail it to me, pick up the phone and call me and I'll transcribe... whatever you prefer!

The threshold for how many string beans to put in a Tupperware and put in the fridge vs. "chucking it" varies from person to person.  This piece is one motivated by small pieces of phosphor coated tubes found in the "scrap bin" at The Crucible. 

Looking at these little colorful bits, I thought of welding them together to make two tubes similarly sized each with a red, yellow, green and blue length of glass.  I was in a bit of a hurry so didn't think much about the colors being in the same order (and so... they're not).  Years later I was looking to use these pieces in a sculpture.  I reminisced about how these tubes came to be and collected some items from my studio that were also "leftovers". Scraps of wood were pieced together with some all thread and a few bolts.  Handles that had been discarded from somewhere were affixed to the piece. "Putting The Pieces Together and Handling It" was born... and if it all falls apart, I've included a brush for someone to use to sweep up it's bits and throw it away; knowing somehow that I was responsible for delaying (potentially forever) these objects from occupying landfill.