Amy Boone-McCreesh’s newest works on paper borrow size and format from cloth napkins, all measuring roughly 20” x 20”. The domestic sphere has been a consistent source of inspiration for her, as she continues work to visually untangle notions around decoration as it relates to the ways we inhabit spaces and hone visual taste. Sewing samplers of the 18th and 19th centuries have also become centers of interest in Boone-McCreesh’s new work. Samplers were not only a way to practice domestic skills, but also to display what a woman had to offer a spouse or household. Samplers have been described as an indication of the future management of a girl’s household and significant in domestic education. Colors, materials, and the forms the samplers and needlework took could be determined by class and wealth, indicating access to resources. Markers of personal importance like a woman’s age and year of creation are mirrored in Boone-McCreesh’s contemporary samplers, referencing her own existence as an artist and woman working in the 21st century. She humorously and softly takes aim at the absurdity of living in Western culture in the modern world. 
Boone-McCreesh has long been loyal to collage based processes and the precarious nature of this work- the rough and sometimes chaotic ways in which pieces come together parallel a lack of preciousness and ‘get it done’ attitude often embraced in the home; found in mending, fixing, and patching with handiwork, all while attempting to maintain a sense of self. 

Views series:

Architecture appears to us globally in classist ways, through city planning, grand visual details and the views out of windows, manmade spaces define the humans they serve. Decorative clues, small and large, signify power and access. Small details such as Fresh flowers confirm access while a large home, beautiful views, and an expensive car flaunt power. Cultural aesthetics, passed down through families, such as color choices and fabrics in a home are often judged by others perceptions of good and bad taste. All of these aspects tell a story about socio economic positioning. These works on paper are a straight forward explorations of views, while the installation and sculptural pieces embody what it's like to be in a beautiful and maximal space. All works have the goal of questioning our level of access to beauty in our lives and the determining factors surrounding and mirroring our socio-economic status. Living in Baltimore city for over ten years, and being home-centered during the pandemic have helped shaped Boone-McCreesh’s newest View series.

Together, Alex and Amy probe at the standards and aesthetic perimeters that ensnare women, asking questions through their visual vocabularies. Mimicking the culture being sold to them, they aim to create “beauty” while testing the exclusionary limitations of the concept. The moving target of success, as it relates to the pressure to have a certain home or domestic life, fitness goals, trend conformity and other slippery milestones, tinges their work with an inescapable anxiety. Underscoring their mutual fascination with brand collaborations, limited editions and the mechanism of scarcity in art, beauty and fashion, the artists worked together to create a set of small sculptures that straddle high and low aesthetics.

The exhibition features an adaptation of a prior installation, The View. This piece creates a space meant to be reminiscent of looking into or out of an idyllic view. Views, in our neighborhoods and our surroundings are the thing we pay a premium for, yet the scene being viewed is ultimately free. Our surroundings, domestic and geographic are also an indication of access and economic structure. Naturally-inspired garlands and man-made surfaces clash in this piece to create a space that is both immersive and contained. All of the work in the show is multi-media, employing accessible materials as well as technology to further the conversation around consumption and craft.