The Parting Gifts of Liberation, April-August 2003
12" x 12" x 3" Handmade Book in Slipcase
Limited Edition of 3
Archival Ink on Matte Paper, Cotton Paper, Transparency, Vellum, Glassine Sleeves

Reacting against the general apathy of the student population at Penn State during the American invasion of Iraq, we began obsessively collecting, adapting, and creating images, stories, and text that dealt with the reality of our country's first pre-emptive, unilateral war. Combining a daunting amount of material culled from disparate sources--including the Web, found objects, international media, and American advertising and packaging--this is a harrowing, provocative book that challenges the notion of bringing democracy to another country through violent means, and points to the folly of a culture which seeks to assert itself globally, even while ignoring its own cultural shortcomings.

The piece received the Helen Hungerford 1st Place Award at the Art Alliance of Pennsylvania's 2003 Juried Art Show, and was included in the 2004 group exhibition War Forum: Images and Words, at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.