Ashley Biggs

For my artist statement, I chose to highlight the issue of the current wage gap between men and women. Recently, I learned that women earn only 79 percent of men’s average hourly wages working THE SAME JOBS which is linked to forms of gender inequality. The wage gap dilemma isn’t necessarily something you can see, but something felt by the hearts and pockets of women worldwide. Gender roles and gender inequality are topics that date back to the budding of civilization. The unjust treatment of women has severely decreased as we have progressed as a culture in society, however the wage gap dilemma is a prime example of how gender equality still exists in our modern day society. Female empowerment, the wage gap, and overall equality are topics that I am extremely passionate about, due to the fact that I am a female, African-American, and plan on entering the workforce in the near future.

With my chime, I hope to spread the overall message of equality, acceptance, and fair treatment for all. My target audience would have to be the employers or individuals who have control over the payment of workers. I would like for my audience to see my piece and actually feel and comprehend the image that I am trying to send. Hopefully my piece will spark a change in our community and gradually spread across the globe. I plan to achieve these reactions by depicting meaningful, relatable, and bold ideas so that the audience can reflect and compare it to their own lives as well. I have chosen to hang only four materials for a simplistic yet powerful chime. I plan on first hanging a small flag made from silk that says “It’s a girl!” to clearly represent that we are speaking of females. I will secondly hang the number 21 from carved wood to symbolize the 21 percent that females are not being payed. I will then hang an equal sign made of paper to represent the need for equality for both genders. And lastly I plan to hang the symbols for male and female together made from clay to represent unity, equality, and, togetherness for both sexes.