Ernest and Ruth

Shaped like a cartoon thought or speech bubble, Thomas’s sculptures *Ernest and Ruth* offer visitors a place to sit and interact with the works of art and with each other. As stated by the artist, “When viewers occupy the piece, they are encouraged to contemplate what it means to inhabit their own speech and beliefs.” Thomas adeptly works in a wide variety of media to address history, race, class, gender, and identity as seen through the lens of popular culture and mass media. Thomas is, in his own words, “fascinated with how history and culture are framed, who is doing the framing, and how these factors affect our interpretation of reality.”