Mixed Media Assemblage | 10 x 17 x 4 inches | Custom Framed
 
Born Free pairs tenderness with social commentary in a miniature nursery vignette highlighting both the parental responsibility to provide children with “roots and wings” and society’s duty to end the crib-to-prison pipeline.
 
An ivory crib with mauve bedding shelters a nest brimming with eggs, while a golden birdcage — elegant yet emblematic of captivity — stands in counterpoint. In a deliberate gesture of hope and resistance, the cage door is glued open, asserting liberty and the possibility of escape from predetermined paths.
 
The luxurious textures — the shimmering pink wallpaper, the satin-covered mattress, and a wreath of ametrine, quartz, freshwater pearls, and Murano glass in mauve, rose, and violet — create an initial sense of calm. On closer inspection, that opulence sharpens — rather than softens — the message.
 
Contemporary and concept-driven, Born Free merges social-justice art with nursery imagery, encouraging reflection on care, freedom, and systemic change.
 
Materials: Ametrine, quartz, freshwater pearls, Murano glass encasing silver foil, dollhouse miniatures, craft materials, acrylic paint, wallpaper, and a metallic jewelry clasp
 
Framing: Archival museum glass in a deep black custom frame by Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.