Gail Grinnell: angle of repose

Seattle artist Gail Grinnell has created a site-specific, temporal installation in Boise Art Museum’s Sculpture Court titled angle of repose, in collaboration with her son, artist Sam Wildman, using materials and techniques informed by her mother’s work as a seamstress and her father’s work as a mechanic. The effects of the Great Depression in the US and the events leading up to the end of WWII prompted the family’s migration from a mid-west farm community to a life of work in the government/company town of Hanford, Washington. The impact of this migration altered their relationship to the land and the value of their labor in ways that have continued to evolve for workers on a global stage.  In her large-scale installation, Grinnell reflects on the traditions, work ethics and life circumstances that carry through families over generations.

Organized by the Boise Art Museum

Sponsored by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation

Image: Gail Grinnell, angle of repose, Boise Art Museum installation detail, 2014. Photograph courtesy of the artist.