Created for Take a Seat with Alexandria Public Library.

America is both a symbol and a lived experience; layered, complex, and still evolving. I have transformed my chair into a bald eagle, an enduring national symbol.
Look closely at the materials that form the eagle. What do you recognize? Composed of over 400 pieces of discarded waste, the work reflects modern American life. Though symbolic in form, the chair remains functional. You can still sit in it.
The seat is covered in newspaper clippings from the 1950s to today, while the backrest is composed of stereograph cards dating from 1898 to 1905. Together, these layers span generations, preserving moments of daily life, conflict, progress, and change. In its talons, the eagle holds reproductions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Reminders that the ideals and rights woven into our system have endured through 250 years of trial, struggle, and growth.
While creating this piece, I learned my family has been here since the country’s earliest days. I truly believe American history lives within its families — whether here for generations or newly arriving, drawn by opportunity still uniquely possible here. I hope this work invites viewers to reflect on how our shared past shapes our responsibility to the future.