~~~ THE BROTH  ~~~


rhizomatic Research that accompanies acts of making



Entirely opposite, with moments of overlap



Character Studies are the small-scale sculptural objects made in the studio alongside the production of other works. They are quick and instinctual and made over time.
This is the first time the Character Studies are included in a public exhibition.

The Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts (Univerisity of Alabama at Birmingham) exhibition inspired the construction of a new display context for presenting a selection of the Character Studies. Baked into the concept of the modular structures is the potential to be easily replicated elsewhere with slight variations to their layout and material content. They visually represent a critical ideology within my practice.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” - Arthur Ashe

Displays and installations which necessitate navigation promote active viewership. In this way, less obvious shapes emerge from the paths traced out by people as they move through a space.

THE MILK CRATES ~

DESIGNERGeoff Milton, an Australian designer and engineer is credited with inventing the modern plastic milk crate in the 1950s and 1960s.

“I had to solve a problem, and I solved it.” - Geoff Milton

INITIAL IMPETUS - Born from ideas present in permaculture which aim to create sustainable cycles of production and consumption ($$ for shipping, packing materials, new fabrications. Gas/energy for transport. The expenditure of personal time/energy/focus.
I used universal materials that could be sourced or constructed locally. Milk Crates are ubiquitous within the fabric of our culture. It’s utility may shift, but the aesthetics remain 100% the same. A seemingly static thing becomes more than itself.

NEXT THOUGHTS - Modular furniture hit it’s stride in the 40’s with Harvey Probber’s (1922-2003) seating, but its sensibilities were present long before that. Modularity represents ideas of maliability, impermanence, adaptability, and the feeling that things can be adjusted to our changing needs, even when the things themselves are materially permanent.

The crates are “misused” (without direct alteration) within the gallery. Their utility adjusts itself to suit the context. They become furniture. This is gentle politics. This flexes muscles which encourage the temporary relaxation of what we think we are certain of to make space for new meanings and possibilities.

DETAILS -
The display bases are lightweight, low mass, and inexpensive to ship. They are formed from single lengths of notched, bent and welded steel angle bar. The powdercoat color is a blue I call “Public Blue”. It is commonly used in public spaces.
The 1/2” MDF surfaces were made using 3D Modeling software (Rhino) and a CNC machine. These digital files can be sent to machines in any location.

The Milk Crate displays (Structures #2) mark the second occurrence of repurposed raw (local) material used to display art within an institutional setting.

Exhibition walls are painted with chalkboard paint. They were used to visualize work for three future exhibitions before being erased.

“It’s not a negation. it’s a celebration.” - Robert Rauchenberg

EXTRA LINKS -

TEXT.

FLOORPLAN & WORKLIST.


The exhibition is accompanied by a publication.

Click HERE for a curtailed visual history of Citrus in Art.

GRATITUDE:
Curator: Hannah Spears
Exhibition support: Sheleka Laseter and Anna Beth Nixon
Installation & Lighting: Denny Frank
Graphic design: Hour Studio
Installation photography: Beau Gustafson
Tours: Virgil Bragg
Special Thanks: Danny Shapiro, Kelsea Nichols, Kazuki Guzman, Nick Ferreira, Min Song, Jenn Schatz, B. Ingrid Olson, John Henderson, Mary Coyne, Henry Voellmecke, Patron Gallery, John Fields, and Jesse at UAB Surplus Warehouse

Birmingham, Alabama - 2025