“Not a Drill” explores our increased exposure to gun violence and the alarming lack of measurable gun reform in the United States. Iconographically, the work appropriates the American flag and that image continues to naturally deepen and evolve as I install or employ it over time. For example, “Flesh and Blood,” pictures my elementary-aged children wrapped in the American flag printed on mylar emergency blankets. These thin blankets suggest the frailty and instability currently found in school protection and asks, “Who will protect America’s children?”

Since my initial impulse to make this work, I have realized that it is positioned within a larger conversation that is in one respect well established and the other only minimally explored. The politicized body as a site for art is long documented, yet the space inviting and inspired by children is not.

“Not a Drill'' enhances the visibility of contemporary feminist positions addressing the intersections of motherhood and socially engaged art. Choosing to incorporate my children into this work was a deliberate choice on all our parts. My children understand the significance of their participation and are aware of the gun related tragedies unfolding in Texas and around the nation. “Not a Drill'' emphasizes the blurring of the private and public spheres and humanizes the overwhelming gun violence data by directly featuring children in the work. Domestic life and political life are now intertwined.

11 x 14 inch archival pigment print 

Edition size: 1/10

Price includes only the single featured image plus shipping.