(Un)Becoming

Abstract

This document provides written support for the thesis exhibition, (Un)Becoming. The body of work uses taxidermy and specimen collection techniques to explore the relationship between the Westward Expansion of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and modern conceptions of masculinity. Through jewelry and sculptural objects, I unravel my personal experiences as a queer individual growing up in a deeply repressive environment--specifically, I examine how the culture and the history of the Mormon Church, Idaho, and the American West more generally have come to define manhood, and how those definitions have shaped how I perceive myself. Using the visual languages of woodcarving, taxidermy, and ornamentation, I create reimagined versions of hunting and botanical objects through a queer lens.