Soft Hands
Poem by Jeanie Ngo . Sculpture by Vicki Gunter
for Abrams Claghorn Gallery's show
Have You Heard Us Yet?
All women poets and visual artists exhibited, presented artist talks & poetry readings.
East Bay Express article
Jeannie Ngo’s powerful poem, Soft Hands, resonates with me in several ways. I can’t know the horror of My Lai as Jeannie’s mother, Lam, did at age 15. I was 18 when I saw the My Lai massacre broadcast on television in 1968. Nothing like it had ever been seen on TV before. I joined millions of active protestors in the streets. Hence, today, reporters are em(bed)ded with the military & we Americans rarely see the actual horror of war.
Lam & I both worked as seamstresses in our 20’s. My previous sewing jobs have moved overseas, many to Vietnam. I also made costumes & used my mother-in-law’s (Jane Brown) sequins from WWII Burlesque on my sculpture.
Most importantly, as a daughter & mother, I know the power & need to receive⏤provide love, safety, shelter & nurturing.
Clay, Underglaze, Glaze, Needles & Thread, Paper Stamen, Copper Wire, Wax, Sequins
23.5H x 9.5W x 6D
...Click for full image & scroll with keypad arrows...
Lam & I both worked as seamstresses in our 20’s. My previous sewing jobs have moved overseas, many to Vietnam. I also made costumes & used my mother-in-law’s (Jane Brown) sequins from WWII Burlesque on my sculpture.
Most importantly, as a daughter & mother, I know the power & need to receive⏤provide love, safety, shelter & nurturing.
Clay, Underglaze, Glaze, Needles & Thread, Paper Stamen, Copper Wire, Wax, Sequins
23.5H x 9.5W x 6D
...Click for full image & scroll with keypad arrows...