In the Concealed Carryland series, horror begins at home☺ “Concealed CarryLand” consists of relief sculptures, installations, site-work that question the relationship of Americans and gun culture: hand-quilting and hunting are popular American hobbies, often in the same house-holds*.

 

In the Concealed Carry series, hand-quilting secures weapons securely within baby blankets, elevates guns to the status of babies, questioning American values. In a conceptual adaptation of 'trapunto' quilting, stitches reveal sculptural relief silhouettes formed by plastic guns instead of cotton batting. ‘Gun quilts’ can be wall- or ceiling-mounted for simultaneous viewing of the front and back (optional backlighting to silhouette weapon(s)).

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“Concealed CarryLand” is an artistic response to the epidemic of school shootings (Parkland/ Newtown/Columbine/ -), and proposes to be as quintessentially American as Disneyworld and “TomorrowLand. The Concealed Carry series is intended to prompt dialogue and debate on gun culture: NRA and 2nd Amendment rights v. “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. “Concealed CarryLand” wonders: What is kiddie naptime in the U.S. where there are 101 guns per person, more than any other nation? In which concealed carry is legal in 12 states? What is the impact of routine lockdowns on children’s psychological well- being? Should civilians have access to semi-automatic guns?

Ann Stoddard is an interdisciplinary artist working in video, installation, social-sculpture, site-work, and drawing.

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*NOTE: Growing up in Milwaukee, Stoddard took art and dance classes, learned to sew, as well as how to shoot clay pigeons.