Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shendoe/
Website: https://www.shennycruces.com/
Biography
Shenny Cruces received a BA in Ceramics from Illinois State University and Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics from San Francisco State University. Her work has received numerous awards and residencies including Murphy Cadogan Fellowship from San Francisco Foundation, and a Kiln God Award Residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and summer residency at CRETA Rome, Italy. Ms. Cruces is currently Professor of Art and Ceramics at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California.
Artist Statement
The act of collecting is an intrinsic part of my process and my work. I actively seek out objects that were once loved and displayed within the home but now reside within junk stores and resale shops. These objects are now empty vessels devoid of the personal and familial memories they once held.
I use recognizable objects associated with collecting and china cabinets to engage with the viewer’s sense of home and memory. I collect, cast, recreate and alter existing porcelain objects into sculptural forms to expose the underlying issues of class, sexual identity, memory and the meaning of objects in our lives.
Work Statement
Overwhelming and intimate, these topiaries reflect my very human need to control that which cannot truly be tamed. This work is an homage to Christina Rossetti and her poem Goblin Market.
Goblin Market Series: Topiary I
Ceramic
32”h x 11” diameter
2024-2025
NFS