Crumble
2023
Resin, Doilies
70x36x36 inches

The pieces entitled “Crumble” came to have many dimensions of meaning. When looking at all of the things these shaman women had in common, one that stuck out to me the most was that before becoming shaman the women were all severely sick either mentally or physically. After exhausting all options with Western medicine and psychiatric treatment they went to seek help from a shaman. Those shamans told the women that they were supposed to be shamans themselves and once they began their training and practice they would be healed. How was this possible? A woman from Nepal whom I had to travel eighteen hours by bus to get to, had the same experience as a woman in Mongolia who could only be reached by an eight hr journey on horseback. After learning this, I would joke with Lara that she was supposed to be a Vietnamese shaman. It was no surprise when she would call to tell me about the strangers who would line up to talk to her during her chemo treatments. “Crumble” illustrates a woman who is hitting rock bottom before being built back up to become stronger, wiser, and ready to use their past experiences to help others. They can also represent people who seek healing, like myself as I processed the death of my friend.