Keith Edmier (American). Untitled (Wreath). 1999. Silicon, dental acrylic, acrylic paint, polyurethan, polypropylene, steel and enamel paint. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum. 2011.363.

Keith Edmier’s work is biographical yet also connected to larger historic events and shared cultural memories. Whether drawing from mundane childhood memories or associations of monumental and historical events, Edmier captures sentiment and nostalgia that resonate with both collective and individual memory. These ideas are evident in “Untitled (Wreath),” in which Edmier produced dozens of intricately cast laurel leaves, red and white carnations, and blue irises, to create the kind of funeral wreath that might adorn the grave of military veteran. This sculpture recalls intimate memorials to the often unsung and unseen heroes of war as well as to the collective memory of the death of President John F. Kennedy. The work also includes the personal memories of the artist. Literally woven into the sculptural wreath are colored polyurethane and dental acrylic, two materials that recall the artists’ days working in a dental office. 

Born in Chicago in 1967, Keith Edmier attended the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia.