This Running Girl is inspired by Mo’ne Davis who pitched the first shutout ever in the Little League World Series at the age of 13. Out of the 9000 players who have participated in the Little League World Series only 18 have been girls.  Mo’ne was the same age as many of the kidnapped girls when she threw a 70 mph fastball; sheisn’t afraid to show the boys what girls can do.  She says, “I never thought that at the age of 13, I would be a role model, but now it’s real...”  (As are all the kidnapped girls who put their lives at risk to get educated).  The home plate shape symbolizes a home and all those recently displaced from their homes due to religious wars.  It is also a metaphor for the “homemaker”.   The text art “steal home” wishes the kidnapped girls safe return home. It also alludes to stealing the White House.

The shoe is made from a Mexican blanket. When Mexicans jump the border fence in some parts of Southern California, they wrap their shoes in fabric cut from Mexican blankets to hide their footprints to avoid being captured by border patrol. The backpack strap is made from old drawings – what the artist considers her notes.

In addition, this artwork builds on the history of art.  Historically, artist were obedient servants to the papacy, yet many had heretical messages hidden in their artworks.  So this Running Girl plays with that fact by hiding the religious symbol -- a sword representing Joan of Arc. The relevance of Joan is that she was a teenage martyr who was burned at the stake for her beliefs. She tried to escape captivity and argued in her trial, “It is lawful for any prisoner to try and escape.”  The artwork reflects on the growing number of people around the world who are being forced to hide their beliefs to survive.

 60”x 44” and mixed media on paper.

2014 to present