Drawn Together

RESite Studio, Artist

Drawn Together features two raised hands in the process of joining together in solidarity, recalling the configuration of empowered hands in social justice-themed posters, murals, photography, and other visual art forms. Also, the sculptural pose evokes students raising their hands in class, asking a question, or volunteering to be involved in an activity. The artwork is inspired by the subjects most important to TIAA - sustainability, climate change, racial inequity, and community involvement, and poetically interconnecting them to create a singular, iconic sculptural expression. 

The monumental hands are made of a sculptural assemblage of stainless steel pipes that are “coped” artistically—cut on a diagonal—to reveal the interior of each pipe, which is painted with assorted colors. Capturing the formal beauty of the striations of color presented in a set of colored pencils, the sculpture suggests that the hands were carved from a large group of unsharpened colored pencils vertically fused together. The selected colors are based on earth tones found in the landscape-inspired building interior and colored pencil sets that feature multiracial skin tones. The interweaving of colors celebrates the connection between culture, society, and the natural world.

Photography: Wade Griffith