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Artist Statement Diane F. Ramos
Growing
up in Northeast Ohio, I was introduced to various Midwestern domestic traditions
by my mother and grandmother at a very early age. Although these traditions seem antiquated or unusual today,
I still practice many of them simply as a connection to my grandmother. The grandmother I knew as a child is a
very different woman than my grandmother today. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with dementia and since
then I have watched her decline into a shell of the woman she once was. Witnessing her mind and memory deteriorate
has been one of the most devastating experiences of my life and I find myself
missing the woman I knew as my grandmother even as she is sitting right in
front of me.
This experience has caused an interesting correlation, in that as my
grandmother’s memory deteriorates, my memory of the woman she was diminishes as
well. Because of this, I find
myself desperately attempting to retain the memories of my grandmother as the
vibrant, engaged woman she once was instead of the frail, atrophied woman I see
now. As part of this retention, I
am drawn to the domestic traditions that my grandmother taught me when I was
growing up and have since utilized these practices in my current body of work.
Domestic practices including sewing, crocheting, canning, and
cooking/baking, combined with items that I associate with my grandmother are
employed within my work in non-traditional fashions to express the desperate
need I feel to preserve the memory and relationship I once had with my
grandmother, while also presenting the deterioration that is in play of her
mind, my memories, and our relationship.
Creating work that revolves around the tragedy that is my grandmother’s
dementia is extremely depressing for me.
However, I also find it comforting in that I am able to use the
techniques that she taught me—and that were so important for her to pass on to
me—in ways that are relevant and contemporary, while maintaining their
traditional value. In creating
this body of work, I hope to give new life to these traditional practices and
ultimately reestablish the connection I have to my grandmother in a new and
profound way.
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