Casey Smallwood, Lucky Scratch, Handmade quilt with felt, denim, and hot fix crystals,

48"x29"

Casey Smallwood is a visual artist, working in a variety of media to explore themes of agency, fame, contemporary weight loss, and class. She works as the Curator of Education at the South Bend Museum of Art. Casey received an MFA from the University of Chicago in Visual Art with a focus in photography, video, and performance and a BFA from Missouri State University in Photography. Her work has been included in exhibitions throughout the U.S. and she was a resident at the Banff Centre's thematic residency Our Literal Speed. Her work was highlighted in Sarah Trigg's 2013 book, Studio Life, and was featured in an episode of Made Up With Danny Volk and published with The Fotomuseum Winterthur's Still Searching Blog as a co-blogger with Ekaterina Degot and Matthew Jesse Jackson. Smallwood has worked as director and cinematographer for the art collective, Our Literal Speed since 2013.

Artist statement about Lucky Scratch:

I am interested in exploring class through systems that require a kind of faith to participate (gambling). My mom was laid off from the telephone company after 20 years of service. I remember her winning $2500 on a scratch-off ticket. For a brief moment, all of her problems went away and my mom seemed lighter on her feet. She went on to become the first female driver at UPS and retired in 2013. She still buys scratch-off tickets, hoping to win enough to do something she wouldn't be able to do otherwise.

https://caseysmallwood.com/