ART GALLERY OF REGINA

Display Case

Amy Snider

Crushed

January 7  -  February 27, 2023

​

Artists' Statement

Crushed, as seen here, comprises a few of the 16,000 pieces of pottery I am creating for my fall 2023 MFA graduating exhibition, which I'll invite viewers to destroy. These vessels, made from local clay I dig myself, will cover the entire floor of the Fifth Parallel Gallery.

Crushed is an embodiment of my experience of eco-anxiety. Climate change is destroying the places I love — places that bring me solace. Flooding, drought, heat domes and forest fires make it impossible for me not to be aware of the suffering that this human-created disaster is causing. Most of this suffering is taking place far away as a criminal result of environmental racism — the nations of the south are disproportionally dealing with the emissions burned by the north.

However, I also suffer in my small ways, finding it hard not to be hyperaware that any step I take contributes to this harm. I worry about the future. With Crushed, I offer visitors a chance to acknowledge these feelings, with which they may also wrestle, and to know that they are both justifiable and shared.

Amy Snider is an MFA candidate at the University of Regina, Canada. Her conceptual sculptures and installations represent the effects of climate change. Her work includes a series of ephemeral cups, bowls, and plates representing melting glaciers, drought, and eco-anxiety as they dissolve, crumble, and blow away.