Drag

Susie Ganch, Drag, 2013-2014, collected detritus and steel, 32 × 32 × 132 in. (81.3 × 81.3 × 335.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of Robyn Kennedy, 2021.81, © 2014, Susie Ganch

Artwork Details

Title
Drag
Artist
Date
2013-2014
Dimensions
32 × 32 × 132 in. (81.3 × 81.3 × 335.3 cm)
Copyright
© 2014, Susie Ganch
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of Robyn Kennedy
Mediums Description
collected detritus and steel
Object Number
2021.81

Artwork Description

Susie Ganch applied her virtuoso skills in metal and jewelry to make this monumental bracelet from discarded plastics. It includes many single-use plastics, like coffee lids, to show that long after we throw it away, plastic lives on indefinitely, becoming a drag on our ecosystems.


“Our collective detritus connects me physically to the world outside my studio while also serving as a commentary on our collective habits of consumption. From a distance they are beautiful. Up close they are dirty and covered with the evidence of their now forgotten use. With these materials, I construct pieces that are comprised of multiple interdependent parts. Often held together by tension, they have structural integrity but also flexibility and fragility. This dynamic balance mimics the cooperative nature of the universe. The idea is to offer the viewer a tactile experience.” —Susie Ganch


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Verbal Description

A large chain made up of ten steel rings covered in discarded plastics. Each ring is slightly larger than the last and looped through one another to create the chain. The largest ring is about two and a half feet wide. The smallest ring is about the size of a bracelet and attaches to the wall, allowing the other rings to slope downward, with the largest one resting on the floor. This gives the impression that the chain is being dragged along the ground.

The pieces of trash attached to each ring are bright and colorful from a distance. Up close, most pieces are dirty and crumpled. The largest ring is made up of white-colored objects, like Starbucks cups, lids, and bottle caps. The objects within the rings gradually change in color, forming a seamless gradient of light pink to bright pink to bright red at the smallest end. While the trash is arranged to keep the circular shape of the rings intact, ribbons, feathers, and objects of other textures poke out from the sides of the rings.

Works by this artist (483 items)

Paul Manship, Susanna (#1), 1948, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.1
Susanna (#1)
Date1948
marble
On view
Paul Manship, Eve (#1), 1935, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.6
Eve (#1)
Date1935
bronze
On view
Paul Manship, Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial, n.d., cast posthumously, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1971.15
Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial
Daten.d., cast posthumously
bronze
On view
Paul Manship, Dancing Child (Charleston II), 1927, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.28
Dancing Child (Charleston II)
Date1927
bronze
On view

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

More Artworks from the Collection

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1982, oil stick and waxed crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sam Rose and Julie Walters, 2018.16
Untitled
Date1982
oil stick and waxed crayon on paper
Not on view
Jeff Donaldson, Victory in Zimbabwe, 1980, mixed media on cardboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2019.1, © 2018, Estate of Jeff Donaldson
Victory in Zimbabwe
Date1980
mixed media on cardboard
Not on view
Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, (Star-shaped structure), pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Martha F. Butler, 1991.56.366
(Star-shaped structure)
pencil on paper
Not on view
Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, Tabor, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Martha F. Butler, 1991.56.350A-B
Tabor
pencil on paper
Not on view