Talent Showoffs: Water LIlies+ Social Justice

I recently had the opportunity to have my artwork in Talent Showoffs, a local event for artists and musicians.  Here is the Artist Statement that I used for the event.

Felicia Follum, Water Lilies (Untitled), 11x15

My work combines social justice themed Fine Art with graphic design techniques and processes. I tend to use a variety of mediums. Through research and brainstorming I strive to develop a creative language to talk about current social issues as diverse as African American hair, the LGBTQ community and Christianity, and world water.


The work on display tonight is from my in-progress series dealing with human trafficking and sex slavery. Though water lilies are beautiful plants the eco system that they have adapted to survive in is not so glamorous. The root system and underground workings of the plant are extremely complex and parallel the system that supports human trafficking. The most basic, yet significant, comparison is the function of the lily pads. Each pad takes back energy to the root, which would otherwise shrivel up and die in the mud.

Since I am still in the process of creating water lilies to represent those who have been trafficked in the United States, there are many directions in which this body of work could travel.

Please check out my Facebook page or this blog to keep up with my work and learn more about the symbols and comparisons I am making.