Opera Coat

Cast Iron, Enamel, Bronze, Steel, Copper Leaf

60 X 42 X 42 inches, 700 lbs.

2023

I was invited as an artist in residence with Opera Omaha for the 2023 season. I began investigating the handmade objects and garments that create singers' worlds, constructed by artisans and tailored for specific bodies. As a sculptor focused on material properties, a garment built with alterable seams resonated with me - what if not only garments but cities, systems, and culture were designed for change?

I found a tailcoat with different linings and complicated seams in the costume collection. Turning it inside out revealed how it was made, informing this work. With Kohler Co.'s Arts/Industry Foundry residency, I could cast the Opera Coat in iron at full scale. By enameling it with powdered glass, I created a shiny surface with botanical symbols of love and death from opera. These botanicals are traced from specimens found in the Nebraska Sate Herbarium, and leafed with copper. This sculpture reminds us of the many hours, hands, craftspeople, designers, experts, and dreamers at the heart of cultural production.

Sculpture produced at Kohler Foundry in the Arts/Industry program.

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