My sculpture is titled Jerry, and I named it that to humanize the mouse and encourage empathy. I chose the name because of my inspiration from Jerry the Marble Faun and also because many people already associate the name with the mouse from Tom and Jerry. My most prominent influence was the sculptor Jerry the Marble Faun, especially his idea of “liberating dormant forms” and his use of subtractive sculpture in natural materials.
My goal for this sculpture was to explore the idea of animals existing in what we consider to be human spaces and to encourage people to see the value in these creatures and treat them with kindness, especially animals that are often seen as pests. I wanted the mouse to look like it had cleverly chewed its way to freedom from inside a dense block of plaster. My inspiration also came from a mouse that chewed through the wall in my room. While I did not want to share my room with it, I refused to remove it in a way that would harm or kill it just for existing near me.
