My Sock Monkey Obsession
My interest in sock monkeys came on suddenly and without warning. As an artist working in paint, ink and textiles, I was not involved with doll-making or collecting. In the fall of 2010, I came across a boxed make-a-sock monkey kit. I wanted to make monkeys, not sweet and predictable, but dark and troubled and totally original.
The first rebellious monkey I made was a gift to my twenty-something son, Jim. He named that doll “Ronnie Singer – the Poo Flinger.” Ronnie Singer sported a Mohawk haircut, tattoos, earrings, leather vest, blue jeans and attitude. My daughter, Lauren, requested a retro-hippie, headband wearing earth mother whom she named Cher. Cher looked after Ronnie during his “bad times” with patience and love. They were the classic co-dependent and enabling couple.
From these first dolls, a collection of more than 70 sock monkeys has evolved. I have become the all-powerful creator of unique individuals living in their own monkey world. I discovered that I could make a pair of socks look like anything I could imagine.
Is this Art and Craft?
My answer is: “yes, this collection of sock monkey items is an art installation.” From my art school years I sussed out my own personal answer to that question: it is art if the creating artist calls it art. End of discussion. I declare these soft sculpture humanoids, original, signed and one-of-a-kind as “art.”
Is this collection craft? This work leans heavily on handicraft. But these figures are a form of higher artistic expression because they originate from thoughtful observation and reflection, with a cultural and art historical context. These figures serve as anthropomorphic actors in an archetypal play of individuation, self-identity and stereotypes, existential angst and the search for life purpose as well as pointing toward contemporary socio-economic, political and pop cultural themes.
The Final Goal
Bringing this collection of re-purposed socks to your attention has been my goal for the last 11 years. But my greatest pleasure will be realized if these humble creations have brought a smile to your face or a laugh of recognition.