The Power of Keys 2020

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Location: Miriam Apartments, Chicago IL

Project Description:

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Keys have so much meaning. Everywhere we go, we carry them with us. They absorb our experiences, keep the things we love and care about safe. Keys hold layers of memories and untold stories. When someone gives you a key, it means that they trust you. When you lose a key, you have lost access or even sometimes hope. When you hold a key, you hold a chance.

 

These tactile artworks were the culmination of a collective art making experience with the residents and staff of the Miriam Apartments. Workshops that encouraged conversations and shared stories about the physical, metaphysical and spiritual aspects of keys were the source of inspiration for the design of these mosaics. Participants engaged in the hands-on fabrication of clay relief sculptures using actual keys and other materials to embellish their personal artwork contributions.Their individual sculptures were incorporated into the larger public artworks installed in the common areas of the Miriam Apartments. Their overlapping memories are now fused into a public artwork that is a reflection of a moment in time -that tells metaphorically where they were yesterday, celebrates where they are today and helps to shape the promise of where they could be tomorrow.

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