Art Show - Sarah Schneiderman

First, not last: Portraits Celebrating Individuals Who Broke Political Barriers in 2020 | Assemblages by Sarah Schneiderman

The 2020 election and 2021 federal appointments brought new faces to local, state, and federal governments. Many of these legislators and appointees are the first in their "group" to be elected or appointed to political office. Represented are people from multiple races, genders, sexual orientations, nationalities, religions, and statuses in society.

This exhibition tells the stories of some of these political firsts through Sarah Schneiderman's portraits made of non-recyclable trash assemblages. Many different people made headway in a predominately white male bastion of elected and appointed officials. The most well-known is Vice President Kamala Harris. Much lesser known is Deqa Dhalac, the country's first African-born mayor of any city. This series of portraits celebrate these wins.

Using trash as the medium, Sarah transforms what we throw away into something stunningly beautiful. She uses fragments of rubbish to make realistic assemblage portraits. Sarah uses no additional coloration or textural elements. This practice of using trash reflects the unfortunate history of the degradation of many communities in the past — how these communities were, and still are, relegated to the garbage heap. Now, Sarah applauds how these individuals use their voices and bodies to influence our government and represent their constituents.

This exhibition reminds us of the progress made and the need to continue to move from a homogeneous representation to one that reflects the diverse complexion of the USA. In the words of Valarie Kaur, this exhibit "reimagine[s] the institutions of power that ordered the world."