Fall 2005 Artist in Residence - Aili Schmeltz Installation August 8 - September 5th, 2005 Exhibition September 8th - September 30th, 2005
	I am a product of suburban middle America . I am both repulsed and intrigued to watch the landscape of my childhood change from corn fields and farms into a land of mega plexes, super malls, convenient stores and corporate chains. Although I am disgusted at the alarming rate that development is changing the American landscape, I realize that I am just as much a part of the dilemma and landscape as everyone else. My current body of work looks at the ideas of comfort, contradictions and con­nections through the lens of my daily life. Looking at the contradictions between my viewpoints and actions in daily life, I am continually mapping the connection between experience and conscious thought with an ironic or humorous eye.
The materials I choose are crucial to understanding the premise in my work. I choose materials such as vinyl, shag carpet, wood paneling, and polyester as emblems, snapshot memories of the 1970s tract home of my youth. These materials speak to the dualities inherent in the suburban landscape as hideous and seductive, kitsch and homey, humorous and heartbreaking. - Aili Schmeltz
Archive: artLedge - Fall 2006 Lacey Pipher- Winter 2006 Aili Schmeltz - Fall 2005 Malian Lahey - Winter 2005 Ellen Hartwell - Fall 2004 Don Lambert - Fall 2003