“The entrance is flanked by two curling serpents - the head of one and the tail of the other are visible; each serpent continues around, completing itself on the interior wall. Serpents are also the motif on the interior; each of the side walls is lined with six snakes which crest in the middle. On the bodies of the snakes, placed on small shelves, are the tools, some of which even take on a serpentine shape or snakelike imagery. In this context, they seem less like actual artifacts, and more like ritualized versions created specifically for this sacred space. At the far end is the temple, a pyramidal shape with a low, curving top, and an opening through which we glimpse the Queen’s Ring illuminated by a shaft of light from above.”

-Mary Jane Jacob, exhibition brochure.

“The Queen’s Ring is a synthesis of formal components that Stoppert has developed over the past decade, as well as a compilation of narrative references that have continually informed her work…As the viewer enters the anteroom, focus is immediately directed to a temple structure specifically designed to house the ‘Queen’s Ring,’ which is four feet in diameter. The ramp leading to the temple entrance and the single shaft of light illuminating the ring from above are key elements which invite the viewer to enter. Geometric and zoomorphic forms are prevalent in both the temple’s overall design and decoration, and in the tools and implements in the anteroom. In The Queen’s Ring, Stoppert’s exploration of geometry as a universal symbol and her preoccupation with defining sacred or mysterious space is combined with her own personal, yet archetypal mythology.”

-From The New Museum Press Release, June 2, 1982