Molded to Bear
2024-2025
Press Molded Paper, Shredded and Imbedded Memoirs
35 x 25 ft
Exhibited at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
Curated by Dr. Rachel Winter
Molded to Bear is a massive installation—thirty-five feet tall by roughly twenty-five feet wide—composed of a towering heap of pots and pans. Stacked like an overwhelming mountain of dirty dishes, the piece speaks to the weight of women’s labor, both seen and unseen. Embedded within this domestic debris are memoirs—fragments of my own story that also resonate with the lived experiences of countless women and queer femmes. These narratives have been redacted, not with ink, but through form—pressed into the very molds that symbolize the societal expectations women are forced to conform to.
Photos by Alex Nichols
This work draws deeply from the tradition of Ozark storytelling, something I grew up with. In the Ozarks, stories were more than entertainment—they were tools for resistance, for preserving identity, and for pushing back against caricatures. The culture tends to be private, protective—keeping secrets from outsiders. I echo that spirit in Molded to Bear, using storytelling as critique. The way women’s treatment is so often minimized, dismissed—especially Southern women, who are expected to uphold a delicate femininity while carrying out relentless, backbreaking labor. The “ideal” woman is just a façade, and I refuse to perform it. I tell my stories instead.
Though the form may obscure them, the stories are still there—for those willing to listen. Just like in the Ozarks, some truths are kept from strangers, but spoken freely to those who truly listen.
Photos Below by Daniel Trego
