Plane Crashing (Thunderbird)
Artist
Nancy Pletos
(American, 1950-2016)
Date1981
MediumWood, beads, paint, resin
Dimensions7 × 8 × 5 in. (17.8 × 20.3 × 12.7 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of David Zucca, 2009
Object numberUAC3936
DescriptionNancy Pletos received her BFA from Wayne State University in 1972 and her MFA in painting in 1975, studying alongside other first-generation Cass Corridor artists. Though her degree is in painting, Pletos concentrates on wooden sculpture, constructing small, intimate spaces that she often embellishes with resin and other ornamentation.Like many of the Cass Corridor artist group, Pletos is not limited to any one medium, as evidenced by her broad range of works of wood, latex, and feathers as well as other non-traditional materials. Assemblage art remains a strong theme among Detroit artists, exemplary of the city's diversity. With use of unconventional materials, Pletos creates complex textural structures that embody this ethic of recycling and using what is abundant and available to generate more challenging work. Although no longer residing in Detroit, Pletos will be forever recognized for her work in the Cass Corridor community.
Text by Claire Cirocco
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