One In the Hand

Fabricated brass, electrical cord, acorn prize capsules, 2019

“One in the Hand” turns the arcade claw machine into a wearable sculpture. The fabricated brass claw functions as both a clasp for a necklace and a spring-loaded hand, grasping for plastic prize capsules in this wearable game of chance.

One In the Hand (Detail)

Bang! Bang!

Decommissioned Raven MP-25 handgun, fabricated brass, paint, 2019

Bang! Bang! was created as part of the Bay Area installment of the national "IMAGINE Peace Now" project. The project partners artists with guns from buy-back events and demonstrates how communities can create change and turn decommissioned guns into objects of conversation, beauty, fear, and change. For this project I received a Raven MP-25, a cheaply made, mass-produced gun that earned the nickname of “Saturday night special” by critics. I merged this real gun with fabricated elements that suggested it was a toy gun loaded with rubber suction cup bullets. Bang! Bang! captures the blurred line between toys and guns.

La Frontera

Fabricated copper, brass, silver, 2017

This brooch combines the stories of my father’s life in El Salvador and the ongoing journeys of migrants from Central America to the United States. The silver chain marks the path of people fleeing decades of war and violence; the lilies honor those who did not make it.

First Aid: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death (Installation View)

First Aid: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death looks at the folly of seeking easy fixes to unimaginably complex problems. The four white medical cabinets that make up this series suggest a chance to grasp at remedies to many of the world’s ills, but none come easily. Modeled after arcade claw machines, these dispensers encapsulate the frustration and tension of trying to clench the prize, or in the case of these machines, a desperately needed cure.

First Aid: Pestilence

First aid cabinet, steel, powder coating, brass, acrylic, string, coiled wire, arcade joystick and button, Ivory soap, 22" x 15" x 9", 2016

First Aid: War

First aid cabinet, steel, powder coating, brass, acrylic, string, coiled wire, arcade joystick and button, thread, needle, 22" x 15" x 9", 2016

First Aid: Famine

First aid cabinet, steel, powder coating, brass, acrylic, string, coiled wire, arcade joystick and button, wheat, 22" x 15" x 9", 2016

First Aid: Death

First aid cabinet, steel, powder coating, brass, acrylic, string, coiled wire, arcade joystick and button, drinking glass, water, 22" x 15" x 9", 2016

First Aid: Famine (Detail)

Reconstructing Time (Father)

Honduran sinker mahogany, mahogany, brass, chime block, motor, cast glass, electrical cord, 10" x 12" x 6", 2015.

Reconstructing Time was created for the Ritual + Remembrance exhibition, funded by the Oakland Museum of California, and was inspired by the theme of remembrance as a way to communicate with one’s past. The glass corn cobs dictate the tune based on how they were eaten, allowing the brass hammers to fall and strike the clock chimes, creating a unique tune. Two music boxes, one representing my father and one my maternal grandfather, were installed on opposing walls, directly across from each other. When an audience member triggered a motion sensor, both boxes would begin to play, creating a posthumous dialogue between two men who each represent a unique side of my heritage and identity.

Reconstructing Time II (Grandfather)

Honduran sinker mahogany, mahogany, brass, chime block, motor, cast glass, electrical cord, 9" x 18" x 6", 2015.

Your Turn

Brass, resin, acrylic sheet, felt, found objects, 11" x 6.5" x 5.5", 2015.

This faux-mechanical, impartial device acts as an interface between the giver and receiver of charity. The piece was made for the Dorothy Saxe Invitational at the Contemporary Jewish Museum as an interpretation of the Tzedakah, or charity-collecting, box. The separation between giver – who feeds a coin into the machine – and recipient – who receives a gift through a door on the opposite side – represents the anonymity of a truly selfless gift. The prize capsules inside hold objects that symbolize intangible gifts such as health and wisdom.