Making the Voters Chicken: Guarding the House

13 x 21 x 5 inches, yarn, rigid foam, wire, canvas, embroidery floss, mulberry paper, map, screws, chicken feathers, acrylic paint, wood box

Cloaking stories with soft yarn, drawing the viewer in through soft and domestic associations of fiber art, I unveil narratives of destabilizing forces in American democracy. This piece, called Guarding the House, is part of a series titled Making the Voters Chicken which illustrate various forms of voter suppression enacted by state laws. The fox dominates the legislature, whose ethereal image withers in the background. The fox is so large he cannot be contained. Referencing the fox guarding the henhouse is a way to highlight that while elected representatives should serve the common good of the community, this one acts solely in self-interest. He bares his sharp teeth, while a few stray feathers reveal all that remains of the chicken voters.

Artwork and image ©2022 Eve Jacobs-Carnahan