Ava Hager

_{Our bodies control our ability to live or die; maintaining
its health is crucial. My work focuses on the ever changing experiences our bodies
encounter from personal and familial ties to illness and disease to the impacts
of depression and anxiety. Not only is this detrimental to our mental health
but works in direct cycle with our physical state; the stomach is the second
mind.

I am a senior sculptor at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and will be graduating this May. I work in a variety of
mediums including textiles, wood, plaster, and recyclable materials. I look for
meditative acts within my work, and actions that no matter how simple or complex
are relaxing through its repetition and motion. These acts are therapeutic in
nature and inspire my exploration of the mental state's effect on the body. In
my current body of work I explore my bodies response to emotional and mental
distress from my symptoms of GERD Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), stress, anxiety,
and depression throughout the grieving process of my mother's death as I cross
milestones. This project includes hollow wax castings of the organs my mother's
cancer affected, my stomach to summarize my GI tract issues, and paper string incorporated
from my collection of medical records since my health problems arose. These
organs hang before a light source illuminating the cracked textures of the
organs surface with an eggshell application highlighting the beauty within the
body even with illness and death.

Budget:

Microcrystalline wax 10 lbs. - $160.00

Consumables for fabrication ( plastic wrap, clamps, glue, eggs)- $60

Pine for Armature - $80

Lighting - $70

Lacquer and Finishing materials - $40

Shipping & Handling - $100

Total: $510}