This artwork examines the idea of peace and war. This artwork is autobiographical, for in my childhood, I played war games in the woods with the neighborhood children during the Vietnam War conflict. My knowledge of the Vietnam War was limited; we had a neighbor who returned from the war in 1971 with severe injuries. Another neighbor was a family of “hippies” who provided me a tie-dye T-shirt with a large white peace sign on the front; this was my favorite shirt. I would play war on weekends wearing my peace tie-dye shirt and carrying a plastic Mattel M-16 Marauder rifle.
The steel is a freight door from the Wamsutta Mills that had produced products for the U.S. Military since the 1860s. The business ceased operations in 2002. My great-great-grandfather and great-grandmother worked
at the Wamsutta Mills in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
at the Wamsutta Mills in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Private corporate collection in Seattle, Washington.
