Julia Galloway

Lives and works in Missoula, MT, USA

Artist statement

Funerary urns are traditionally used to hold ashes from cremation. They are a powerful icon representing death and loss, and historically have been used in Native American cultures, throughout most of Europe, the Mediterranean, Australia, and extensively in Asia. I am making burial urns, one for each endangered, threatened, extinct, or recovered species in the United States. The urns are made from porcelain clay and are sized to hold an average human’s ashes, between 10 and 13 inches tall. Each urn has a meticulously carved surface portraying a specific species. The surfaces of the urns range in color and reflection, and, in fact, I have been researching and testing glazes consistently for more than three years. The urns are not made for use, they represent each disappearing species and are displayed empty as a sign of hope. The overwhelming scale of an exhibition of these urns is undeniable. Even with one quarter of the urns completed, when walking into my studio the collection stuns people into silence. Making such a vast number of unseen species visible is the overarching intention of this project. The multiplication of an intimate object of sorrow and honor -- each individual urn inextricably linked to its species, but the group as a whole speaking to the immensity of the potential loss – creates an impact beyond mere numbers. I was raised by an early feminist, and still believe in personal responsibility and service: the personal is political, and when private things...

Artwork