Melanie VanHouten

Born: Frankfort, KY, USA, 1975 MFA, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2002 BFA, University of Kentucky, 1998 Through sculpture and installation, I revisit places, moments, and memories to which I feel a strong sense of responsibility and an intense, personal connection such as the development and urban sprawl that are threatening the family farm or the tension that exists within a family that is separated as it struggles to survive. These are but a few examples of the significant losses that together our society faces daily. My work examines the universality of loss and grief and subtly reveals a collective longing that creates a tie between us all. The objects and spaces that I create act as relics; recording the existence of a moment or memory they become three-dimensional documents of time and place. Materials that change or decompose bear a certain lifespan of their own that is explicit in the work. Often, they are familiar materials that engage the viewer through personal associations derived from their own memories. The connectivity between the viewer and the object unfolds and ideally results in awareness that some link exists among all people, places, and things; that our actions and inactions affect one another. Reclamation reveals an awareness of the disappearing rural landscape that is indicative of the struggle many farmers face while attempting to maintain a sustainable living for all of us.