My research at UIC has been in the study of humble, ubiquitous objects. My goal is to paint these ordinary objects lovingly and to, in a way, defend them. Seeing is never neutral, but always involves a process of interpretation that occurs within existing social and political context. By focusing on the ordinary, it is possible to arrive at an understanding of the dynamic forces that give meaning to individual lives and that are both the obstacle and the vehicle to achieving lasting social change.