Mixed Media Assemblage | 17 x 22 x 4 inches | Custom Framed

Tools of the Trade sets precision instruments and mechanical tools women used during World War II against the kitchen implements more commonly used postwar. 
 
Part of the From War to Peace series — which examines women’s wartime opportunity and postwar constraint — Tools of the Trade stages that contrast in a restrained palette of blues and neutrals, punctuated by red, silver and bright white.  
 
Recruiting posters bearing the line “WOMAN’S PLACE IN WAR” underscores the technical mastery expected of wartime workers, unintentionally alerting contemporary audiences to how quickly “a woman’s place” would change once peace returned. 
 
Combining women-in-WWII history and home-front narratives, Tools of the Trade invites viewers to consider the gap between women’s proven abilities and their available opportunities.
 
Materials: Lapis, blue onyx, dollhouse miniatures, Murano glass, jewelry findings, paper, public-domain WWII posters, art board, fabric
 
Framing: Archival museum glass in a deep black custom frame by Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.