Kai Ryssdal Presents: The De-File Your Taxes Winner

Way back in February, Studio 360 asked you to take the IRS’ 1040 tax form and do something — anything — creative with it. We received a number of beautiful, funny, and even dark entries (you can see all of them here).

This week Kurt Andersen caught up with the De-File Your Taxes judge, Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal. After looking at the entries, Ryssdal says they fit into three categories: drawings and paintings, abstractions, and tangible objects. Here are his picks:

Winner

Erin Farley

Erin Farley’s paper dress caught Ryssdal’s eye immediately. He praised the wearability of its style, and admitted “the real reason it caught my eye: Project Runway is huge in my house. My two children and my wife and I watch all the time. And this one just clicked with me right away.”

From Erin Farley: “‘I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet.’ – Carrie Bradshaw”

(Erin Farley)

Runner Up

Ruth Monnig Steele

Kai snapped a photo of Ruth Monnig Steele’s entry on his desk

(Kai Ryssdal)

Finalists

Ann Martin

From Ann Martin: “Bluebird of Happiness: Here’s hoping a refund flies to your mailbox soon! Quilled strips cut from 1040 tax form, 2 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches”

(Ann Martin)

Isabella Hander

From Isabella Hander: “‘I Fold Under Pressure’, or, how an origamist does her taxes. No cutting, gluing, or the like was involved in the folding process.”

(Isabella Hander)

Liz Collins

Alicia Enstrom

From Alicia Enstrom: “For artists, dealing with the IRS can feel like dealing with a circus. Making it an actual circus makes it way more fun.”

(Alicia Enstrom)

Charlotte Jones

From Charlotte Jones: “Crack open your financial fortune with a Tax Formtune Cookie! The process may be a pain, but hopefully your returns will be great!”

(Charlotte Jones)

Robin McClintock

From Robin McClintock: “Flowers for my accountant.”

(Robin McClintock)

Les Barker

From Les Barker: “My creative outlet is intricate paper snowflakes. I quickly tried my hand at sketching the work ‘TAX’ a couple times on my paper and then cutting them out with an X-acto knife.”

(Les Barker)

My creative outlet is creating intricate paper snowflakes. I have taken the 1040 form and folded it in such a way as to result in a six-sided paper snowflake. Then I sketched the word ‘tax’ onto the paper in two ways and then cut it out.

(Les Barker)

Liz Collins

From Liz Collins: “Reduced to Simplest Terms medium: colored pencil and sharpie”

(Liz Collins)

Cynthia Alberto

From Cynthia Alberto: “Weave the Dollar Bills….. 1040 forms cut into strips woven on a 4 harness, 4 thareadles, Schacht floor loom. Warp – cotton Weft – 1040 forms Size: 8″ wide x 36″ length”

(Cynthia Alberto)

Donna Meyer

From Donna Meyer: “A poem written entirely of words and phrases from the 1040 tax form, entitled 1040.”

(Donna Meyer)