Margie Criner

Chicago artist Margie Criner makes abstract, organic-shaped sculptures that house small dioramas, viewable through a peephole. She calls these "sculptures in sculpture."  They are miniature narratives hidden inside abstract sculpture that explore the notion of vacancy in everyday places.

Margie wrote the following about "Pursuit Of Happiness" but it seems to apply to her work in general: "This new sculpture which will be on exhibited at Yard Dog beginning August 6 is smaller than most of my pieces. I am obsessed with making something small appear vast on the inside. I see it as a metaphor for truly understanding others, for problem-solving, or simply a vessel for feeding the curious in all of us. It all goes back to a lesson my dad taught me about looking from all perspectives to better understand a problem. He was talking about the lawnmower as he disassembled it to fix it. I took that lesson and carried it. That lesson is the foundation of my sculptural work. I want to build art that invites people to examine from all perspectives."