archives@tulane.edu / I often find myself drawn toward objects that most would consider mundane. I am compelled to reevaluate subject matter that I have previously conditioned myself to disregard, investigate what I believe to know about the objects, and consider their new potential based on unexpected findings. My thesis exhibition explores my initial perception of repurposed cardboard boxes by fabricating realistic and formally exaggerated variations of them in clay. The three distinct categories of work within the show (trompe l’eoil boxes, abstracted cardboard boxes, and fragmented wall pieces) are an embodiment of my analytical approach to observing cardboard with a fresh perspective. Trompe l’eoil boxes provide a frame of reference. Abstracted cardboard boxes utilize unexpected characteristics of cardboard—as well as recognizable traits of clay—to challenge preconceived notions of how a cardboard box looks and functions. Wall pieces that partially resemble torn scraps of cardboard questions what remains of objects incapable of serving their intended function, while also discussing cardboard and clay materiality. A one-dimensional perspective of cardboard boxes presents them as utilitarian vessels, manufactured without ostentatious appeal, designed to protect objects we cherish, and meant to ultimately be discarded without contemplation. Through unbiased observation, formally and conceptually multifaceted layers emerge from behind initial perceptions of the box. / 1 / Holly E Ross