Hana Ward

Old Timer (vigna unguiculata), 2024

Hana Ward’s sculpture Old Timer (vigna unguiculata) (2024) is seen in dialogue with New Era (vigna unguiculata) (2024)—both of which are functional ceramic lamps named for two varieties of cowpea listed in George Washington Carver's Bulletin No. 35, "How to Grow the Cow Pea and 40 Ways of Preparing It as A Table Delicacy." Commonly known as the black-eyed pea, cowpeas increased the yield of the land in which they are grown because microbes in their root nodules release nitrogen, increasing soil fertility. Because of this, cowpeas have become a symbol of abundance, good luck, and prosperity and were historically referred to as "the mortgage lifter" and "the poor man’s bank.”

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