My sculptural practice transforms pockets of material accumulation found within my home. Whether picking apart worn carpet padding, dyeing hand-felted roofing shingles with gutter debris, or disassembling corroding aluminum duct-work, I examine how a space holds onto and lets go of its contents. Through an ongoing cycle of making and remaking the work creates systems that toe the line of absurdity, but still knows when it’s time to shed their lining. This cycle mirrors repetitive actions of daily living, folding, wrapping, dipping, coiling and stacking. The work finds its form through the small acts of transformation that occur within a deeply embodied way of making. The practice holds a material conversation between what we keep and what we toss, with a bit of breathing room in between. 

Erika Terwilliger is a visual artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received a BA in Studio Arts from St. Olaf College in 2016 and an MFA from the University of Minnesota in 2020. During her time at the U of M she received fellowships to study textile and weaving practices in New York and Dundee Scotland. She has been selected for various residency programs at The Jentel Foundation, Second Shift Studios, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and Franconia Sculpture Park. In 2022 she was selected as a recipient of the MCAD Jerome Fellowship for Early Career Artists. Currently, Terwilliger is a lecturer in the University of Minnesota’s sculpture and ceramics department.