“Like Any Living Thing” by Madeleine Cutrona

The DRAW Gallery
24 Iwo Jima Lane, Kingston, NY

January 24th — March 1st, 2025

Opening Reception
February 1st, 5 — 7 pm

“Like Any Living Thing” is a series of whimsical ceramic sculptures and felt tapestries by Madeleine Cutrona that explore the psychological impact of debt. Paying for basic needs such as medical care, housing and education is common practice in the United States, and yet can be very costly. During this time of historic wealth inequality, to participate in today’s economy millions of people accrue debt in order to make ends meet. Signing for a loan, agreeing to a payment plan and making a monthly deposit are strategies we use to afford these necessities and create opportunities for future financial security. For individuals without access to personal or inherited wealth, accruing debt both creates and limits opportunity.

The sculptures in “Like Any Living Thing” are inspired by games and distorted into dysfunctional vessels. They are accompanied by felt tapestries that evoke the precarity and uncertainty of living with debt. Both clay and felt are process-based materials that require physical manipulation to transform. I squeeze, pull, twist, rub, poke, and agitate, as I intuitively manipulate each material. Clay undergoes a further chemical change in the kiln as it becomes vitrified, and individual fibers intertwine to gain strength as they shrink together. Experimentation and layering are central to my practice. I often begin with research on a concept and then create drawings and doodles. The final works are the result of improvisation at each stage of the material’s process, each step building in response to what came before. The work in “Like Any Living Thing” is a permanent physical manifestation of the weight of debt, giving form to an elusive and invisible personal burden.

About Madeleine
Madeleine Cutrona (born in Buffalo, NY, 1986) is a visual artist and cultural worker who creates playful sculptures and installations that explore class and economics. Her work is informed by coming of age during the Great Recession and inspired by the world she wants to exist. She studied Anthropology and Studio Art at the University of Rochester where she graduated with honors, and earned her MFA at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Madeleine is interested in how artists garner resources, build support, and hone skills to execute their creative visions. She currently serves as the Director of Fiscal Sponsorship at New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and is the founder and director of Fits & Starts Project Site, a front yard exhibition site in Kingston, NY. Madeleine previously taught at SUNY Suffolk County Community College, Montgomery College, and George Mason University and the Children’s Museum of the Arts. She currently lives and works in Kingston, NY.