Transformation, framed in 10 pieces, is a snapshot of the city of Milwaukee as it has transformed over the years through a compilation of census data, work force, and Milwaukee names with acknowledgement to the Native American Indians.

In each framed work, set behind conservation glass, a 4” low-relief, mixed-media work. Using quilts as backdrop, shifting from dark blue to white as symbolic of Milwaukee’s work force shifting from blue collar to white, trade beads are sewn, as markers of Milwaukee’s settlements and relocations since 1836, taken from Milwaukee’s census data.

Floating above this layer, a 3/8” sheet of Varia EcoResin in Sapling (green), referencing the great and varied trees that were in abundance. The sheet material is CNC cut to reveal, in absence, or negative space, the various names Milwaukee has had dating back to the 1700’s. These names: Mahnawauk, Melleoki, Milouakik, Meneawkee, Milowages, Meolaki, Minnawack, Milwacky, Milwaukie, and Milwaukee. As the settlers came to see, Milwaukee’s landscape could be reshaped to suit its new inhabitants. And as Milwaukee natives shaped the land, the land shaped them. It is this symbiotic relationship, among others, that I am wanting to share, celebrate, and give tribute to.

From sewn quilts, reflective of the water’s movement, to our diversity of people and cultures, I see this snapshot of Milwaukee as one that immediately and quite literally says, Milwaukee. But at the same time, and upon closer inspection, one with the opportunity to teach and remind us of more.