Current Artwork

Jean is interested in the visual, psychological, and cultural meaning of play and games. Past artwork referenced gameboards such as checkers and parcheesi. Her current work calls on cat's cradle. Using one long circle of string, this game can be played alone or with another person and relies on delicate coordination and decisive movement in order to keep the string taut and the pattern clear. If a hand is misplaced or a player is distracted, the shapes fail and the pattern is lost. The small drama of each game exists in a three-dimensional space, made and destroyed over and over again.

This current body of work is about overcoming distraction, enduring interruption, and sustaining serious play.