Artwork copyright Dawn Cerny. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Dawn Cerny. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Nothing Can Stop Us Now, 2007

Dawn Cerny
American (born 1979)

Location: Shoreline Community College, Shoreline

About the Artwork

Nothing Can Stop Us Now by Dawn Cerny shows a divide between Abe Lincoln (1809-1865, the 16th American president) and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln. They look in opposite directions and are on opposite sides of the composition. These familiar historical figures are symbols of partnership and the compromises that arise when one person is dedicated to a larger cause. Cerny notes, "I am using the popular idea (or myth) of the relationship between Mary and Abe Lincoln to think about how much we ask from those who love us when they perhaps don't have that much to give. I am largely using Mary and Abe (and the idea 'North and South' or the 'Civil War') as symbols to ask a larger question about the struggle to be 'good' to your significant other when you are dedicated to a larger cause than just your marriage. On the other hand, how do you care for someone when you know you will never get what you need from them because their energy is going to a greater cause? Where does this leave the Union?"

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Shoreline Community College.

About the Artist

Seattle artist Dawn Cerny creates drawings, photographs, and time-based artworks. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and printmaking from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture at Bard College in New York State and has been an artist-in-residence at Seattle University.