When I began the “Family Values” series I was looking for a way to convey some of the humor and alienation that my family negotiates as part of our child-raising experience. These painted collages reflect the ways in which the “othered” family is both influenced by and disrupting of the “Father Knows Best” stereotypes that continue to pervade concepts of family and childhood development.

I work in a technique called bricolage, a term coined by Levi-Strauss to describe a recombination or juxtaposing of images and texts in unexpected ways to create a layered narrative or meaning. Bricolage is a powerful method in contemporary postmodern culture, where images and information bombard us from every direction. To create narrative in this series, I began with collages of art historical images, advertisements and articles on parenting from the 50s as well as images and texts from parenting manuals, social studies primers, and sociology textbooks that define cultural norms.  On this ground, which is metaphorically the cultural backdrop in which I raise my family, I have superimposed nostalgic images of my “alternative” family and texts of anecdotes that we have experienced.