Nancy Rubins (b. 1952) creates monumental, gravity-defying sculptures from accumulations of discarded and found objects. Working with materials ranging from mattresses, televisions and airplane parts to boats and amusement-park figures, she binds and cantilevers objects into seemingly precarious structures that explore balance, scale, weight and material transformation. Rubins earned her B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1974 and M.F.A. from UC Davis in 1976. At Davis, where she studied with Mike Henderson, Rubins experimented with large-scale, heavily worked drawings and unconventional materials. Her Red After the Fan (1976), held in the UC Davis Fine Arts Collection, demonstrates an early interest in pushing two-dimensional work into physical space that anticipated her sculptural practice. Rubins has exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Biennial, Venice Biennale and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Her monumental sculptures are held in major museum and public collections.