Marry Me for My Hobart

Marry Me for My Hobart is not a found object. The entire sculpture is hand fabricated to look like a real appliance, taking traditional metalsmithing skills to construct what looks like a manufactured appliance. This reflects the value our consumer society puts into buying manufactured goods for prestige and status.

This Hobart mixer is now commonly referred to as KitchenAid (as a brand identity.) I used traditional hollowware construction similar to what would have been done to create a sterling silver bowl in another century. The lettering, “Marry Me for My Hobart” (on the side) and “Dream Whip” (front bottom) was pierced from sterling silver sheet. (Look at the next photo below.)

After the mixer forms were completely fabricated by hand, the lettering and sterling silver details were silver-soldered to the form. The finish is lacquer paint.

Ring on the very front top is 14k. yellow gold as a symbolic wedding band through the nose of the appliance.

This gold ring is a specific reference to my concern that when women get married, they are led around (by the nose) and told what to do.

Dream Whip on sculpture by Harriete Estel Berman

The handle shape and overall design for Marry Me for My Hobart was loosely inspired by this vintage 1950’s Sunbeam Mixmaster appliance design shown on the recipe book (left.)

Autobiographical story behind “Marry Me for My Hobart”
This is a true story.

Before going to graduate school and for my 25th birthday present, I asked my parents for a Hobart Mixer, which I still use today. These mixers are now more commonly referred to as ‘KitchenAid’.

A couple of years later while I was in graduate school, a fellow graduate student, Wyatt, became enamored with my Hobart and offered to trade his boom box for my mixer. Of course, I declined and wasn’t going to do that. At about the same time, my best friend in graduate school, Alice, happened to tell me that her parents had promised to give her a mixer when she got married.

Well, long story short, Wyatt and Alice got married a short time later. I could not help myself from thinking that he was, at least a little bit, motivated to marry Alice for her Hobart mixer.

While that may be a far fetched oversimplification for Wyatt and Alice, I have heard of people getting married for the cars, houses, or lifestyle of their would-be partner.

10.5" height x 7.5" circumference of base x 9" depth

Available for exhibition or purchase.