This series of paintings and ceramics explore ideas of connection. I wanted to depict experiences of everyday intimacy, of the quiet care we can have for others.
For the paintings, I was thinking about how we value different kinds of connection, and with whom we choose to form intimate bonds with and why. Through this series of figures, I wanted to explore and imagine different types of connections between people, as well as the nuances and challenges of connecting. I want to step out of western societal notions of giving and receiving and explore expanded notions of intimacy and commitment to include the places and larger circles of humanity that we can care for.
For the ceramics, I was also thinking about themes of craft and women’s work and the history of that kind of work’s role in storytelling. I wanted to incorporate this idea of fabric and quilt into the memories and relationships I have built with my friends. I also wanted to think about the way that the burden on women to put in the emotional labor in relationships is connected to women’s work and the importance of relationships.
I think that in the world we live in today, questions of connection and care feel especially relevant. We are learning how to connect with people in new ways while we are physically distanced. We are also realizing the life and death importance of caring for others who might not normally be part of our list of people for whom we are supposed to love. I hope my works can evoke these feelings of tenderness, and perhaps stir others to question their own everyday experiences and conceptions of connection. (View Anna’s website)
— Anna Stubbs ’20
