Founded in 1997, the City of Los Angeles Independent Master Artist Project (COLA IMAP) is an annual grant awarded by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) to a selection of the City’s most exemplary mid-career artists to support the creation of new works. As a recipient of this award in 2024, Brucker received funding to create a suite of ten works for exhibition at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) at Barnsdall Art Park, two of which were produced with Judson.

Her installation became a symbolic portrait of environmental activist Meca Wawona, who today suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Hand Mirror for Meca uses layers of glass elements to feature painted patterns of redwood leaves and silver stain demonstrating traditional painting techniques on antique glass in a sculptural context. The viewer encounters the shifting translucence and transparency within the glass layers turning the mirror’s usual reflection into an encounter with light, nature, and a subtly dissolving sense of self.

Jane Brucker, Hand Mirror for Meca, antique matte painted glass, antique stained glass, hammered brass, wood, chain and hanger, approx. 8 x 17 x 0.5 in., 2024.