art works

NCLB

In 2001 “No Child Left Behind” was enacted by bipartisan congressional vote. The NCLB series represents my responses to the NCLB Act. In 6._NCLB 2. “Marks of the Mimetic Cult” the scantron sheet becomes a tattoo the child wears for life. The cookie cutter children are constructed from test booklet pages. 7._NCLB 3 “Losing The Way to the Land Called Chestnut Soup” relates fourth grade Emily’s experience when her teacher told her she could no longer use class time to write her stories. The class would need to spend time drilling for state testing. I asked Emily to write part of her story on the canvas. Her story was titled “The Land of Chestnut Soup”. Emily’s story and repeated image are obscured by the test bubbles. 5._NCLB 1. “The Point of Diminishing Returns” (is based on the actual experiences of a suburban Florida student who despite great success in high school, tested poorly and was denied not only her college scholarship but her parents’ approval. She attempted suicide. The piece is constructed with traditional oil paints, cold wax, and test pages. The figure is fenced in with rows of #2 Pencils. 8._NCLB 4. “The Test” represents an authentic and diversified test.