Philadelphia Artist Stacey Lee Webber Creates Sculptures From Real Money
Philadelphia artist Stacey Lee Webber creates sculptures and jewelry made entirely from real money, including coins and paper bills. Her work includes delicate embroidery stitched directly onto dollar bills and sculptures built from small change.
Philadelphia-based artist Stacey Lee Webber has found a unique way to make art pay: she uses actual money as her raw material. Webber creates sculptures from coins and bills, transforming currency into artistic statements.
One of her most striking series features delicate embroidery stitched directly onto paper money. These pieces show "threads marking moments in time—seconds on a clock—traversing the fragile surface," according to her artist statement. The embroidery both beautifies and deconstructs the overlooked bills we handle daily.
During 2020, Webber developed her "Insurrection Bills" collection, which overlays U.S. currency with subversive stitches. These pieces show flames engulfing monuments, unfinished walls, and face masks covering historical figures. The work comments on political upheaval and social change.
Webber's creations "can cost a pretty penny," as CBS correspondent Nancy Giles noted, though specific prices weren't disclosed. The artist transforms the raw materials of capitalism into critiques of American society and politics.
Webber's art challenges how we think about money's value and meaning in society. Her embroidered currency pieces comment on current events and politics, turning everyday cash into statements about American culture.
More of Webber's money-based artwork may be featured as political and economic themes continue to influence contemporary art.
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