Each time , I think one of the ‘ boxtures ’ is a strange way for me to hang out with my idols in a strange way and get to know them a lot better .
was really into pop culture and had become hooked on Dolly Parton when the pandemic first hit and her artistic spark flared .
“ I am very much into pop culture ,” she said . “ I love music and movies , truly my first love . My first boxture was Dolly Parton and she had just done the COVID vaccine and I was just really feeling Dolly Parton , proud of her , you know , southern pride .”
And from Willy Nelson to Kurt Cobain , Barfield said that the research she does for each of her pieces lets her hang out with her muses , getting to know them better than ever before .
“ Each time , I think one of the ‘ boxtures ’ is a strange way for me to hang out with my idols in a strange way and get to know them a lot better ,” she said .
Now planning for her next cardboard box sculpture of a lifesized alligator , Barfield said that she ’ s excited to try new things and is amazed by how many people she has been able to cheer up with her sculptures and the places they ’ ve taken her .
“ The past 3 years it has been explosive ,” she said . “ And in some part , it is due to the cardboard Dolly Parton , these little figures that I create . I ’ ve enjoyed where it ’ s taken me . It ’ s crazy to have such a buttoned-up corporate day job and at night I ’ m making these little cardboard guys . It feels like my own Bruce Wayne story .”
Barfield added that she knows that her sculptures aren ’ t for everyone , but she wants to show people who see them , from kids to adults , that there is a worth and value to putting art out into the world with no hidden meaning or symbolism . It can just be for fun .
“ I ’ m just happy to be showing them ,” she said . “ I want other people to know , I want kids to know , I want adults to know that there are literally no rules in art , there are no rules . People may think you have to have this , it has to be pretentious , it has to have meaning , it does not . It can simply exist for joy . That is my message , I believe you can make stuff out of three cardboard boxes simply for joy and it does have value and worth .”
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