My name is Julie Anderson and I created this sculpture, titled Refugee after watching the Ai Weiwei documentary called Human Flow. For many years, I have been drawn to water and botany as subjects for my artwork. In this film, Ai Weiwei uses the idea of flow to depict the movement of humans in search of a better life, fleeing atrocious human rights violations around the world. This piece encompasses a boat-like form carrying five spheres, each hand-carved with distinct organic patterns. The variety of patterns represents the cultural identities of the people floating on the water into a new region. Like seeds of plants from a distant land, this diversity forms a beautiful influx of knowledge, culture and eagerness to thrive in an environment that is free from the turmoil of one’s homeland. They are the seeds of peace and prosperity in a new land.