clockwise from top left: 'How to Draw 50 Famous Stars, updated edition', 2009, vintage books, screenprints, Prismacolor, and ink (ed. of 5); (detail) 'How to Draw 50 Famous Stars, updated edition', 2009; results of interactive installation- drawings by gallery visitors; installation shot from the exhibition 'Reincorporation Jamboree' at Honfleur Gallery, Washington, DC

Growing up in the DC suburb, Chevy Chase, I often daydreamed about being a famous singer, dancer or actress.  If someone were to ask what I wanted to be when I grew up my answer would be, ‘famous’. My childhood journal captures this enthusiasm well and I used some of those writings as a departure point for this work.

For this installation, I fabricated an ‘updated’ version of a favorite childhood book, ‘Draw 50 Famous Stars’ by Lee J. Ames. The original book is a step by step guide to drawing your favorite television, movie and music stars (published in 1982).For this updated  version, I added a new page of the book which featured a step-by-step guide to drawing a picture of me as a child. Inserting myself was a fun way to realize my childhood fantasies and capture the essence of the enthusiasm I carried with me then. The interactive part of the installation invites others to contribute to the piece by drawing an image of their own from the book and adding it to the ‘wall of fame’ – by doing so, they have their piece on view in a gallery setting, and can feel a little ‘famous’ themselves.

(school photo used for book project)