Collection: Optimistic American

I have decided to name my monument collection "OPTIMISTIC AMERICAN"

My family lived in DC through the pandemic, 2020 George Floyd riots and the Jan 6 insurrection. I felt like I couldn't heal from the collective trauma because every few months more tragedy would strike our city. Riots, looting, lockdowns, curfews... The national guard rolling down the street in front of my house in armored vehicles, and soldiers patrolling our parks holding loaded weapons while my kids climbed trees. When I look back on it, I can't believe some of it was even real.

Finally in the summer of 2022, I allowed myself to exhale, and I saw the city reemerge. I take walks around my neighborhood almost every day, and it usually involves a trip to the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court buildings. As spring turned to summer in 2022, the stretch of peaceful days became longer, and I started seeing in color again.

The "Optimistic American" collection emerged during those summer months. The dust seemed to have settled, the city wasn't existing in a post-dystopian novel anymore. Hope had returned.