The war on Drugs and the Caged Bird

You have never met your uncle. You won’t be able to share a meal with your cousin for another eight years. Your friend won’t be able to see the outside world until you are both fifty-four. My current body of work is about the prison industrial complex specifically the mass incarceration of minorities as a result of the war on drugs and those policies that specifically target people of color. The cage represents the invisible population that has been ignored and force the public to confront an issue many have the privilege to ignore. These individuals have lost many of their rights and are often stereotyped as bad people, but I seek to show them as human beings. 

Sculpture, printmaking and digital media merge to create total installations that envelop the viewer with raw energy; in an attempt to provide alternative perspectives regarding social justice issues. Alterations in the color of light denotes a shift in cultural perspective, from the traditional western view to one highlighting the experience of minorities. My goal is to give the viewer a glimpse into the reality of the experiences various individuals so that they can better understand their own privilege.