Don Porcella (born Modesto, California, 1963). Sculpture comprised of red and white pipe cleaners titled "Red Balloon," 2021. "Red Balloon" is a unique, one-of-a-kind art object made using the artist's signature process of hand-weaving pipe cleaners to create playful three-dimensional forms and environments. It symbolizes hope and the fleeting nature of life itself. This object is drawn from "Natural Selection," an installation Porcella created for the M's "In Our Minds" (2021-2022), a street-facing exhibition celebrating art making as a form of research, improvisation, and play, featuring work by artists with and without disabilities. Inspired by nature, consumer culture, and science fiction, Porcella's work is highly reflective of his upbringing. Growing up in the country without much at his disposal he learned to use what he had on hand. That resourcefulness is reflected in the art he makes today, which celebrates craft, the handmade, and folk/outsider art. Porcella's work is represented in public and private collections across the US and Europe. Balloon; height: 11 in x width: 9 in. String; length: 74 in.