Description
Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, Roberta Drury by Barbara Wallace
Mixed Media: recycled paper, cardboard, metal, & acrylic paint
15h x 24d x 9d in inches
Year created: 2024
Description: Memorial busts of three people, done in dark monotone, textured and layered with an overall bronze look .
Connection to the theme: The triple memorial sculpture Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Roberta Drury was created in the spirit of the "Say Their Names" movement. Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Roberta Drury lost their lives in gun violence at the Tops Friendly Market in East Buffalo, NY on May 14, 2024, at about 2:30 in the afternoon.
Artist Statement: Social issues and the human figure are the main subject matter for my sculpture. The world needs more art that is accessible to all and that reflects the issues that are of importance to our survival as a species. Reduce/reuse/recycle supports my philosophy that art-making needs to be accessible to everyone. Using upcycled resources addresses climate change and the environment. For the most part, enough materials exist all around us now to create whatever we need to express ourselves. Art-making and viewing need to be free of economic and speech restraints. People need to have materials and time to create and voice the concerns of our time while protecting our environment and human rights.
The triple memorial sculptures Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Roberta Drury were created in the spirit of the "Say Their Names" movement. Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Roberta Drury lost their lives in gun violence at the Tops Friendly Market in East Buffalo, NY on May 14, 2024, at about 2:30 in the afternoon. The massacre was horrifically racially motivated. 10 victims died and three were injured by the 19-year-old shooter. Katherine Massey, age 72, had written a letter to the Buffalo News urging stronger gun restrictions and was an advocate of federal gun control laws. She was beloved by her family and did community service such as tending the trees and grass in the park and giving children toys. Pearl Young, age 77, had been a substitute teacher for many years. She showed her devotion to the community every Saturday morning where she packaged and distributed food at a local church food pantry. She was referred to as a "pillar of the community". Roberta Drury, at age 32 was the youngest person who had her life taken in the tragedy. Described and remembered at the funeral for her "kindness... Love of family and friends, her perseverance, her tenacity and most of all, that smile that could light up a room." I often shopped for food in another Tops supermarket in upstate New York when I was visiting my son while he was in college. I never imagined that shopping for food in such a nice store in such a nearby location could be the site of such a destruction of community. When I heard about the incident, I realized it was our community that had been devastated.
Bio: BARBARA WALLACE is an award-winning sculptor known for her figurative artworks and innovative use of paper mache. In September-December, 2024 she was awarded a Solo Exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ. Recent group gallery exhibits include the Newark Museum, Studio Montclair, Belmar Arts Council, Union County Performing Arts Center, West Windsor Arts Council/Art Against Racism, and Artists’ Equity virtual show, entitled "Seasonal Serenade," at https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/13635759/artists-equity-tri-state-seasonal-serenade
Wallace is a previous Union County Honoree in the Arts for Women’s History Month, awarded by the NJ Senate and General Assembly. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Pratt Institute and her Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania. Wallace teaches art as an Adjunct Professor at Passaic County Community College and an Adjunct Distinguished Professor at Kean University.
$3,500 *
*Price subject to sales tax.
