My name is Leeann Ream, and I am a draftswoman.
Through my labor-oriented, introspective process, I study the formation and reformation of identity in class society. I see drawing as inherently non-hegemonic. For myself, drawing is aligned with the proletarian, the feminine, and queer expression. Drawing (verb) has often been written off as preparatory—but not primary—to painting: a sketch, a study, unfinished. It is not meant to be exhibited in public. It is, by its inception and continued tradition, a process. Drawing (noun), has been devalued as a final product, only given its value if it can be associated with a finished, master painting or sculpture. By centering drawing in my practice, I am able to reflect upon my own ontology within the contemporary late capitalist landscape. In this way, my process is antithetical to my—and many people’s—compulsion to define oneself within the greater societal structure, thereby finding meaning and value. I place value in the process, in the becoming.
Leeann Ream 