Historical Figures, 2025
Historical Figures are an ongoing series of sculptures made from the pages of out-of-use school library books from the defunct Willow Run Community Schools district in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The pages are held together with wheatpaste, which causes the paper to become a hard shell once dry. Each page dialogues and interacts with the other based on the visible content. In addition, the inside of each sculpture can be explored as there is no supportive structure underneath. Each sculpture requires six to ten books.
Historical Figures offer a glimpse at what existed and in many cases still does in public school classrooms. They are meant to initiate challenging discussions about problematic content; from white-washed history to outdated behavioral responses. They are not meant to fault anyone who learned from such books but to confront those who continue to see nothing wrong with them.
3’ x 4’ x 6’ (each)
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out-of-use school library books, wheataste
