Scrap Value
20’ x 8’ x 14’
Salvaged car parts, scrap metal, car seat upholstery
2019
2019 Artist Intern
Artist Statement
What is more important: the artistic value of the materials that make the sculpture or the monetary value of the materials themselves?
My artistic practice addresses engendered spaces with crafted femininity in sculpture. Raised in a conservative Midwestern home, I was taught specific cultural norms of politeness, insignificance, and internalized sexism from a young age. I grew up learning about cars and how to fix them through watching my father. However, I was never allowed to actually participate in the process due to my gender believed to be inferior in the otherwise male-dominated field of automotive repair. Based on debates with my father, Scrap Value prioritizes the artistic value of scrap metal, discarded car parts, and repurposed car seat upholstery over their monetary value.
Reminiscent of a car, the infrastructure is dilapidated from the environment and processes of welding and metalworking needed to make the sculpture. Juxtaposed with meticulously crafted textiles, the piece is reclaimed through woven car seat upholstery, stereotypically feminine colors and designs, and a throne dedicated to the celebration of self-empowerment. Motifs of circular forms as connectivity in craft and personal placement in an atmosphere of respect instill my own sense of self-discovery and acceptance in gender and identity. Scrap Value redresses internalised ambivalence about the worth of women and traditionally domestic practices for craft-based techniques as fine art.
Jamie Weinfurter
https://www.jamieweinfurter.com/
Born: Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA, 1996
Resides: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Education
BFA, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, 2018
Biography
Jamie Weinfurter was born and raised in rural central Wisconsin. From a young age, Jamie developed a passion for drawing and crafting as a means for self-expression, which developed into investigations of gender and identity in sculpture and installations. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with an emphasis in 3D in 2018. There, Jamie displayed her work in various juried exhibitions, co-chaired a student-run juried show, became an officer for multiple organizations, and interned as the 3D and ceramics studio technician for two years. After graduating, Jamie has participated in numerous group shows in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; had pieces on public display in Deerfield, Illinois and Mankato, Minnesota; and has created outdoor sculpture at the Josephine Sculpture Park, Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, and Franconia Sculpture Park in 2019.