Shanna Cole – “The Cow Jumped over the Moon”, ceramic

This piece is a representation of childhood innocence and the comforting presence of the moon watching over the world. I made this in an elementary school art class, and the staples of childhood are visible in the details of the piece – the personification of the moon with its smile and the playful engravings around the border. Although I don’t remember my exact inspiration for this piece at the time, the moon has always been an important and meaningful symbol for me. As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by the changing stages of the moon and how bright something surrounded by so much darkness can be. I vividly remember asking my mother why the moon would always follow us when we were driving in the car at night. As I have gotten older, the moon has retained this meaning and also become a reminder of unity and familiarity in an increasingly changing and unstable world. Wherever I am, my loved ones and all other beings on this planet are looking up at that same body mass in the sky. The moon is a constant and provides us comfort in the thought that we are all under the same sky.