Some memories are created by the smallest decisions.
Which flavor?
Which candy?
How much money do I have?
A Tootsie Pop was part of that early experience of choice and independence. It was a tiny purchase, but it belonged entirely to the child making it.
American Material Memory preserves those seemingly insignificant moments because childhood is built from them. The orange Tootsie Pop isn’t important because of its size or cost. It’s important because it can represent a time when a nickel or a few coins could produce an entire afternoon’s worth of happiness.
From the Artist:
This was the first really large Tootsie Pop I attempted. I started it in late 2019 for a gallery show planned for early 2020.
Then COVID arrived, and the show didn't.
Like everybody else, my plans changed. The drawing remained.
Looking back, I like that this oversized drawing carries two completely different kinds of memory for me — the childhood memory that made me want to draw it and the very adult memory of a moment when the entire world suddenly stopped.
Sometimes an object picks up another story while you're still making it.
Some memories are created by the smallest decisions.
Which flavor?
Which candy?
How much money do I have?
A Tootsie Pop was part of that early experience of choice and independence. It was a tiny purchase, but it belonged entirely to the child making it.
American Material Memory preserves those seemingly insignificant moments because childhood is built from them. The orange Tootsie Pop isn’t important because of its size or cost. It’s important because it can represent a time when a nickel or a few coins could produce an entire afternoon’s worth of happiness.
From the Artist:
This was the first really large Tootsie Pop I attempted. I started it in late 2019 for a gallery show planned for early 2020.
Then COVID arrived, and the show didn't.
Like everybody else, my plans changed. The drawing remained.
Looking back, I like that this oversized drawing carries two completely different kinds of memory for me — the childhood memory that made me want to draw it and the very adult memory of a moment when the entire world suddenly stopped.
Sometimes an object picks up another story while you're still making it.
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