Donna Troy Cleary is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work, based in anthropological investigations, restores and affirms the inherent power of the feminine and unseen labor of the domestic space. Donna's work questions perceived boundaries between instinct and cultural construct. It is heavily inspired by traditional healing practices.Donna received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2014 and her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in at the University of Massachusetts in 1982.Her work has recently been exhibited in numerous New York Art Spaces including: Freight and Volume, El Museo de Los Sures, Petzel Gallery, Sideshow Gallery, Trestle Gallery, Rabbithole at Dumbo and A.I.R. in a show curated by Catherine Morris of the Brooklyn Museum.She has been an artist in residence at MASS MoCA, chaNorth Artist Residency and Mildred’s Lane.And her work has been written about extensively in publications such as: The New York Times, Rhizome, Hyperallergic, The Economist, Medium and Artfile.She is also a curator and founder of 184 Project Space.All images courtesy of the artistIt is possible to sense the heft of hanging masses?Alluding to the unpaid, unseen labor of the domestic, while also referencing ancient pagan symbolism, this fertility sculpture is a reclamation of my own personal history.Vintage blender and stand, vintage stool, yarn, upcycled grocery bags (stuffing)54 x 30 x 26 inchesrod of Asclepius/shaman staff62 x 21 x 14 inches, augur, yarn, up-cycled grocery bags (stuffing)Asclepius was the Greek demigod of healing and medicine.This augur (rod), a recontextualized agricultural tool is entwined by a serpent, the symbol of regeneration/health and death/sickness due to the snake's duality - its ability to shed its skin and its poisonous venom.  This is the realm of the shaman/healer.dick pic, fertility sculpture6 x 7 x 3 inches, yarn, bottle, fertility herbs, instructions for making a fertility tincture.Alluding to the necessity of the masculine in fertility, the balance of yin and yang, the duality of life, the male generative body has also been found in sculpture from the paleo-neolithic period.The title refers to less desirable/harassing contemporary mating rituals.  The pink fuzzy yarn somehow deflates the implied power dynamic, bringing humor and hopefully, some ease to the discussion.Fertility herbs have been placed in this bottle along with instructions for making a tincture.In 2014, 184 Project Space was started as a social practice and curatorial platform. Exhibitions take place in Donna's domestic space as a way to build community between collectors, artists and curators.In 2014, 184 Project Space was started as a social practice and curatorial platform. Exhibitions take place in Donna's domestic space as a way to build community between collectors, artists and curators.00:00 - Introduction00:35 - Donna Troy Cleary02:10 - New Meds - Fovea06:32 - Traditional Healing & Art23:48 - Sculpture29:41 - The Wild Woman35:51 - 184 Project Space40:58 - Outro41:20 - Shape the Future - Nightmares on Wax47:36 - Finish