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"The Colonies Become New Nations" explores the intersection of childhood indoctrination and American mythology through the lens of elementary school reward systems. The installation features fifty star stickers—mirroring both the contemporary flag and the original thirteen colonies—that interrogate how historical narratives are embedded in young minds through incentive structures. Thirteen stars, painted with chalkboard paint and arranged in a circle, bear the text of the Declaration's preamble, referencing the artist's own experience of coerced memorization at age ten, where the reward of a class pool trip necessitated deception to participate. The remaining stars contain abstracted images from a U.S. history textbook chapter on colonialism, their holographic surfaces reflecting the seductive, simplified version of American exceptionalism typically presented to children. By transforming these symbols of academic achievement into vehicles for historical critique, the work reveals how the promise of reward—whether a shiny sticker or national belonging—can obscure the complex realities of colonization and empire, suggesting that our earliest educational experiences train us to accept sanitized versions of power and conquest.
Opening Reception Aug 8. Available to view from August 4-Sept 12