Be a Patriot
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted in a shadowbox, 6" x 6" x 3", 2017
Be Calm When the Unthinkable Happens
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles on cradled board, 8" x 8" x 3", 2017
Blue Period 1
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted in a shadowbox, 2016
Blue Period 6
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted in shadowbox, 6" x 6" x 3", 2016
Coalition of Conscience
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles on cradled board, 12" x 12" x 4", 2018
Do Not Look Away
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles on cradled board, 10" x 10" x 5.5", 2017
Foreboding
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles on cradled board, 8" x 8" x 3", 2017
Nevertheless, She Persisted
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles over armature, mounted on wood, 8" x 8" x 5.5"
Science and Reason Matter
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles on cradled board, 10" x 10" x 3", 2018
The Enlightenment must never bow to the Inquisition #18
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted in a custom shadowbox with museum glass, 10" x 10" x 2", 2018
The Enlightenment must never bow to the Inquisition #20
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted in a custom shadowbox with museum glass, 10" x 10" x 2", 2018
The Moment Matters
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted on wood, 12" x 12" x 8", 2018
Words Matter
shredded non-profit and political solicitations, health care statements as well as magazine articles mounted on wood, 8" x 8" x 6", 2017
Artist Biography
Jaynie Crimmins, based in Brooklyn, NY, received her BS in Art Education from the State University College at Buffalo and her MS with a minor in Art Therapy from the College of New Rochelle. Crimmins has a long history of community work; currently volunteering in the Guggenheim Museum’s Learning Through Art Program since 2016, Arts in Bushwick, Community Programming for Teens from 2013-2016, Safe Girls, Strong Girls in Atlanta, GA as a volunteer with survivors of childhood sexual abuse from 2011-2013, and with Refugee Family Services in Stone Mountain, GA as a mentor for young woman from Burundi from 2008-2013.
Crimmins has won multiple awards and grants for her work including People’s Choice Award, Brooklyn, NY, Artist Grant at the Vermont Studio Center Residency, Weiss Sculpture Award, New Haven, CT, Art on the Atlanta Beltline Commission for temporary public art, Art Station – First place award, the Fulton County Arts Council Scholarship, and several others. Crimmins’ work can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States and has exhibited in Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, VA, Hunterdon Art Museum, NJ, National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest, Romania, Akins Library and Museum, NY, Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw State University, GA, and the Islamic Arts Festival in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to name a few.
Artist Statement
“I fabricate objects with meticulous handmade details that contrast with the banality of their materials. By repurposing solicitations, safety envelopes, and catalogs that are difficult to recycle (because their inks have high concentrations of heavy metals), my work explores consumerism and waste through a repetitive practice mirroring domestic tasks. Shredding these marketing tools breaks down their physical and ascribed composition so I can roll, fold, sew and fabricate the shreds into intimate sculptural reliefs. Process, surface and texture reshape formulaic messages into forms based upon impressions from recollections and observations. Conventional, impersonal messages become personal, domestic and cultural narratives.
Nothing seemed to make it into the trash in the apartment of my Eastern European grandparents. Discarded clothing became crocheted rugs. Old curtains became aprons. Leftovers became the ingredients for new meals. Nothing was wasted and everything possible was reused. Castoff items became novel and compelling in their metamorphosis. Combining this sensibility with the shredding of junk mail illuminates the physical acts of deconstructing and repurposing. The power of transformation, frugality, ingenuity and handmade quality drive my practice.”
