INTERWOVEN: HEART, HOME, AND COMMUNITY
DECEMBER 10, 2016 - APRIL 2, 2017
Mary Ratcliff's rural Ohio upbringing in a supportive, close-knit community of family and friends influences her desire for a more compassionate, intersected society. Appreciative of relationships cultivated in Jacksonville, Florida, especially during her studies of sculpture at the University of North Florida, Ratcliff expresses the value of growing and intertwining our social connections.
As MOCA Jacksonville's 2016 UNF student-in-residence, Ratcliff depicts her journey of psychosocial and emotional growth through the five stages of behavior change, focusing on the significance of interpersonal relationships. By cultivating public engagement, Ratcliff's original approach to collaboration links us together in our collective pursuit of social progression through the measures we take in our hearts, homes, and community.
ARTISTS
MARY RATCLIFF
Mary Ratcliff is a senior at the University of North Florida working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in sculpture and a minor in professional education. Her artwork primarily focuses on processes of steel fabrication, but she is attracted to a variety of mediums, utilizing elements of fiberglass, cast iron, foam, ceramics, and recycled/found objects in her work. Ratcliff's rural upbringing in southeastern Ohio has a strong footprint on her artwork, influencing her both aesthetically and conceptually. She is drawn to the beautiful intricacies of nature and plant life, finding inspiration in the repetitive, organic, colorful structures found in nature. Ratcliff also find interests in human nature, specifically, the psychological and physiological connections and dependencies that link us together as a society.