¡Sí Se Puede!
“¡Sí Se Puede!” highlights blue-collar workers as hardworking heroes of our society by honoring their perseverance and loyalty in taking unglamorous jobs seriously and executing them with both incredible precision and an artistic touch. The dwindling appreciation that society yields for blue-collar workers is alarming, and through this body of work I attempt to elevate the status of all blue-collar workers in America. ¡Sí se puede!
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Cesar Chavez used these words to inspire the United Farm Workers to revolutionize labor laws in the 1960’s. One year ago while running for office, President Barack Obama borrowed this phrase with the translation “Yes We Can!” to conjure pride and hope within Americans during an economic crisis and multiple wars abroad. “¡Sí Se Puede!” is a call to action for Americans to strap on their boots and pull themselves up. |
“¡Sí Se Puede!”
Aluminum, Wood
16"x16"x54" 2009 |
"What New Deal?"
Concrete
17'x13'x36" 2009 |
“What New Deal?” asks our government to initiate construction projects in order to create jobs for Americans. California’s unemployment rate hit an all-time high at 12.5% last month, bringing the yearly total job loss to 687,000. The twenty-four cones strewn on the floor reveal both our carelessness with our twenty-four billion dollar deficit and the listlessness and lack of appreciation our un-employed currently feel. |
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“Snap To It!” refers to the process of how the drawing was created, and also the urgency of our task ahead. It was made using a blue chalk tension string, a tool necessary for us to rebuild this great country. It implores us to put on our blue collars and start constructing the scaffolding that will support this economic slump. |
"Snap To It!"
Chalk Line Drawing
86"x64" 2009 |
"Standard"
Aluminum, Found Object
38"x9"x16" 2009 |
“Standard” elevates the American worker’s daily routine to an honorable tradition. It celebrates the standard five-day workweek, with a nostalgic scene of the proud exhale after another job well done. |
¡Sí se puede! ignites our positive attitudes, believing that we can rally together with our culture’s strong foundation of diligence and dedication. It moves us to unite together as a nation to rebuild this great country we call home. It reminds us that the time for action is now. ¡Sí se puede!