In Wetumpka, Driscoll encourages close looking and contemplation by conveying her message through fine details. The arrangement of flowers that occupy a beautiful, silver vase, has a deeper meaning to those who grew up in the American Southeast. The flowers belong to an invasive vine from Asia called Kudzu and are often found growing in heaping masses that seem to swallow natural surroundings. The vine was spread rapidly in the South in the 1940s to help mitigate soil erosion, but it has continued to thrive well after its job was done. Driscoll has appropriated this symbol of the South to represent the resilience and perseverance of women. A common theme across much of Driscoll’s work, the vines, like women, are aggressive and strong despite efforts to quell their fire. The vines also represent the fading elegance of the South, as they often completely take over abandoned buildings and old, stately homes. Driscoll captures the tension between old and new, tradition and creation that is so visible in the American South.

-Piper Forsti