Amy's Mouse Project
If you are here, then chances are you have found one of the 428 ceramic mice placed strategically around the DU campus, as part of my final project for my Ceramics and Multiples class this quarter. At this point, you’re probably wondering, why mice? Why leave them around where anyone could take them? Why are you reading my mind?
The answer is simple: I believe that art is for everyone, regardless of race, religion, economic background, major, number of tattoos, TV preferences, favorite flavor of ice cream, etc. Near the middle of this quarter my teacher mentioned a number of exhibits at the Denver Museum of Art consisting of small ceramic multiples, which had a bad habit of disappearing over the course of the show. Artists whose art tends to disappear often find this upsetting, and many precautions are taken to ensure that the art stays in the museum rather than in casual patrons' pockets. But I wondered, why try and stop them? There must be a reason people take things that don’t belong to them. Maybe they wanted something to remember the show by. Maybe they thought it would make a good present for someone. Maybe it was small and shiny and they wanted it. In this sense, the project became as much about people as art. What makes us want something—say, a ceramic mouse—that serves no practical purpose at all?
I chose mice primarily because they are pests. Cute, fuzzy pests, but still pests. They hide under tables, in cabinets, behind chairs and sofas. I also wanted something small and simple that fit easily into a pocket or handbag, in the hopes that more of them would be taken. The pieces, like real mice, are defined by people's reaction to them.
So, here’s the project in a nutshell; these mice are yours to keep if you want them. A map of their locations is available in the ceramics room of the Shwayder art building if you want to collect ‘em all. But before you click away and enjoy your shiny new mouse, take a moment to go here and say something about it. Give me some details: what color is it? Where did you find it? Did you take it or just look at the paper inside? If you took it, will you put it back? If not, what are you going to do with it? Have you named your mouse? What are your thoughts on the project? Am I crazy? Isn’t everyone?
Comments are great. Pictures are even better. In the meantime, do what you like with your mouse. Steal it. Move it somewhere else. Break it. Give it away. Put it in a drawer and forget about it. I do not recommend eating it, or giving it to small children (or business students.) Anything else is fair game. Just don’t sue me.
-Amy
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