Artist Statement
Making sculpture activates my body. Through a physically intense process that is also meditative, I feel focused, purposeful. The bigger or more complex the structure, the greater my investment. My sculptures are my strongest half. In that sense, the work extends my body.
Working with steel feels natural to me. I throw on my coveralls, lace my steel toes and walk into the metal shop feeling at home. I tighten the welding helmet, plug in the welder, attach the ground, and with the trigger of the welder in hand, I flip my helmet down and everything goes dark. I pull the trigger and suddenly I can see what I’m doing, what I’m connecting. I make my way down the line of the joint, moving my body with the same amount of ease one has while walking. I take comfort in this one-on-one process in which I can see nothing other than the puddling of the weld that I’m creating. I choose to weld. If done properly, a weld is strong and durable; it can be bent but not broken. It has a rhythmic line quality, a history of motion recorded in its solidity. A weld signifies a bond between two planes and represents the hand that gives form to the inanimate.
My process of formation relies on the relationship between the material and myself, bonded by my weld. The way the material reacts to this relationship creates a dynamic space. This concept affects how the viewer navigates around the space that my sculpture inhabits.
I explore the boundaries of industrial materials in order to discover gestural and organic possibilities that the viewer can relate to. Tension, a delicate balance between stability and precariousness, is key to viewer experience in my work. The result is poised between movement and a powerful presence in space.
MOLLY DRESSEL
About the Artist
Molly was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they were fortunate enough to grow up with an incredibly gifted and talented artist, their mother. As a kid, they spent every night drawing their favorite cartoon character, Scooby-Doo. They sold their first artwork to their middle school librarian and they’ve been pursuing art ever since.
In college, they planned to major in Illustration. Yet, in the fall of their freshman year their curriculum placed them in a class called Sculptural Studies, where they would first learn how to weld. Two weeks later, they transferred to the Sculpture department and never looked back. They have experimented with wood, glass, plaster, resin, marble, paper, ceramics, and steel. In particular, their connection with steel is undeniable. Their defining feat as an undergraduate was successfully casting a life-size self-portrait in Iron. It was this sculpture that quickly identified them as a force to be reckoned with in the male-dominated steel community.
Molly received their BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) in May 2013. After graduating, they went on a solo journey backpacking through Spain for 6 months, where they participated in WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and spent time helping local farmers with various construction projects. They then went on to attend multiple artist residencies both within the US and abroad. After a few years of travelling and expanding their portfolio, they had their heart set on graduate school and were accepted into the MFA Sculpture program at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Molly received their Masters degree in May 2018 and began seeking out work in steel fabrication/welding. While completing a welding certification program through Wentworth College, they met several Local 7 Ironworkers and quickly discovered a career that allows them to do what they love most: working with steel. Without any hesitation, they applied to the Ironworkers Local 7 Apprenticeship Program and were accepted in March 2019. They completed the program and became a Journeyman Ironworker in May 2021.