Clean Sweep 2020 by Amy Branch-Lambert

Artist Statement

I have been experimenting with the process of porcelain slip dipping for the last year. It is pure joy to take an object that would likely be thrown away and turn it into something of permanence, beauty and interest. The process has been many trials and errors of learning this technique, but I have thoroughly enjoyed learning what works and what doesn’t.

This particular piece is a Swiffer duster. Women are still the bearers of most of the unpaid labor in the home. I loved the idea of elevating the duster from a sturdy, mundane household cleaning tool to a more intricate work of art symbolizing the impact of women’s activism and work in politics in 2020. No matter who wins the election, the impact of the work and voice of so many women is already evident.

Clean Sweep 2020 is a celebration of all those women who have worked in the last 100 years, 1st for the right to vote and today in the increasing leadership roles of women in governing our country. It has taken grassroots passion of ordinary people and the Swiffer duster represents the ordinary in this piece.