New York City Art Gallery--Artist Thesis Project

In my painting I am expressing my feelings of disturbance, rage, and upset toward our obscenely corrupt government in New York State. I never expected the corrupt politicians and leaders of New York would have such a personal, negative impact on my life. My mom was deemed a “whistleblower” after uncovering and reporting wrong doing in the New York State school system that put student’s lives in danger. I chose to paint the Statue of Liberty because it is not only an icon of New York State, but also the epitome of freedom.

In my painting, Lady Liberty holds up a speaker that plays just a few audio recordings out of the thousands that exemplify what a whistleblower has to endure. I want to make the viewer aware of what is going on not only politically, but also the years of constant stress and affliction it has caused my family. My mom is certainly not the only whistleblower in the state of New York whose career and family life were basically destroyed. I want to make it apparent what people will do for money, and how far they are willing to go if someone gets in their way. This painting is dedicated to my mom.