Mary VanGieson

Within/Without
woven raffia, jute metal, bones
24 x 16 x 5 in.

Untitled (Gladys)
sticks, crocheted raffia
17 x 10 x 10 in.

The purse is a vessel that conceals from view confidential information about its owner. It is a private space, designed specifically as a means for transporting the personal through public space. Its loss or theft can initiate panic. The purse is a microcosm of the self, a physical structure, but also a system of spatial organizations that turns on questions of gender, economics, and class.

These forms are created from alternative materials and within each vessel is hidden a heart, a soul, a center which is unique to my experience at the time of its creation.

© Mary VanGieson