The State of Things documents the melting away of Democracy in 2006 on the third anniversary of the Iraq War. The sculpture was installed at Jim Kempner Fine Art in New York City and disappeared over a period of 26 hours.
Voiceover: George W. Bush
Subsequently Ligorano Reese installed the sculpture at MCADenver and the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul during the 2008 political conventions.
Ice Sculpture by Okamoto Studio
Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese have dedicated themselves to the art of collaboration since they first met in Baltimore. Their earliest collaborations began in video art and performance. Over three decades the artists have created hardware and software art, limited edition multiples, videos, sculptures and installations using a range of materials, traditional and digital processes.
In 2008, they began installing temporary public monuments during the political conventions, a series called melted away. These sculptures of words carved in ice are filmed, photographed and streamed as they melt away and disappear. They have presented 7 sculptures in 10 different cities at the conventions in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Ligorano Reese are currently developing an exhibition of new work, including video on the climate crisis.
Articles about their work have been published in the New York Times, Art Forum, Art In America, the Huffington Post, and seen on television and other media. They have received awards and grants including 3 NYFA fellowships as well as a NEA fellowship, two Jerome Foundation Fellowships, a Puffin grant and a number of artists residencies. They are represented by Catharine Clark Gallery and show edition work with Jim Kempner Fine Art.