These mixed media assemblage sculptures are made from baskets, boxes and buckets full of my grandmother's treasures that I salvaged when she passed on from this life on Palm Sunday in 2004 at the age of 96. As a granddaughter I felt compelled to rescue her legacy from the trash heap while the artist in me was drawn to the objects potential in making art. Cleaning and sorting these beloved treasures, made me feel closer to my grandmother and helped me to learn more about her. Judging from the proliferation of religious imagery, icons and objects permeating all of her possessions, she was much more deeply religious than her everyday presence suggested. Though I never noticed before, I assume she liked roses because rose patterns cover a great variety of the objects. Also her charming sense of humor shines through her vast accumulation of newspaper clippings and ceramic objects with witty little sayings written on them.
My grandmother, Amelia Nappo Felicella, did not throw anything out and kept hand written records about everything including invitations, receipts, thank-yous, and cancelled checks for gifts she had given and received over the past fifty or more years. Among the paper treasures I found were the cancelled check to my wedding gift in 1986 and more unbelievably a hand written list of all the food and beverage purchased for my parents engagement party in 1948 with notations about which little Italian store they were bought at and what was bought on the following day when the party apparently continued; the receipt for the flowers she sent to my parents for the occasion; as well as my parents thank you note for the party and the flowers! Another treasure that I at first thought to be an old handwritten address book turned out to be a record of the names and addresses of all the people who were invited to and/or attended my parents' engagement party, shower and/or wedding as well as the gifts that each person gave my parents.
During her last few years with us, I photographed her house several times studying her little piles of treasures, carefully sorted and frequently rearranged with her own sense of the precious and the beautiful. Our family's legacy was embedded in every nook and cranny of her house in cards we had sent to her, photographs and gifts we had given her and newspaper articles and announcements about our milestones and accomplishments. All of these mementos were carefully displayed in combination with religious statues and images, and household objects. There I found the source and root of who I am as an artist and spiritual person and why I am compelled to make art that pays homage to those I love and the sacred and domestic rituals of every day life.
Like many ceramic artists, I am intrigued by commercially made ceramic objects such as tile, fine china, souvenirs, collectables and other kitsch and their incorporation into folk art and fine art. My grandmother's treasures inspired me to play with making art from readymade ceramics and found objects. Apparently my grandmother did not care if objects she purchased at thrift stores and yard sales were chipped, broken and/or repaired because most of her ceramic objects were in such a state. So, I also chose not to be disturbed by these characteristics while working with the objects.
I enjoyed the totem format which evolved in the working process for its iconic references. Grandma's Treasures were made before the ceramic Tree Totems sculptures series and influenced their form. The wall pieces in this series are a reference to souvenir plates, of which Grandma had quite a few, and reflect Grandma's wit and sense of humor. I consider this small body of work to be a beginning of future work in this direction rather than a symbol of an ending to a life. Though she was not particularly fond of giving away her possessions when she was alive, I am sure my grandmother would be very glad they continue to be sorted, arranged, used, and appreciated.