Language, its ontological function, and the mutability of text and image are the foundation of Kay Rosen’s work. She considers language to be “found material,” with the potential to incite new readings through minimal intervention. Meticulously hand-painted, her works utilize a range of graphic strategies, color, materials, composition, typography, and scale to shift one’s interpretation of otherwise familiar words and phrases. As verbal shortcuts, many of her works allude to larger political, environmental, and social issues. In Unsung, the subtle blue tones of the painting on canvas impart color with its own distinct meaning. The lightened blue shade of the beginning “un” draws the fragment out from the shadows and into the foreground of our perception, asking us to contemplate the oft-“unsung” roles of frontline workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic of the past several years.