This is What Feminist Art Looks Like

Hey yall faggettes, I'm not dead yet.

2011-02-09T08:08:00.001-08:00

HI THERE!

Hello?

Are you there?

Anyone home?

Oh hi! Oh you look great today. Ahem. Ooh. I need a minute.

...Okay, I just wanted to say hiiiii. Also, I am working on a new project, and I wanted to tell all of the bomb ladiez from this class in case anyone is searching for a mission in life/reason to live/new activism project.

The project is: Girls Rock Charleston! It is a summer camp, where we teach 12 yr olds how to shred. That's right. The preteens are comin to get yer ass with their rock n' roll chops. We seek to empower girls through teaching the how to chunk power chords and thump on the drums and scream about how much they love their bodies/pets/friends into a big loud PA system.

Needless to say I am SO excited. We are currently preparing to file for 501(c)(3) status, and we have just secured a donated location at Ashley Hall for this summer's camp. And we need your help! We need the whole Charleston wide crew of badass ladies to get with us and make this happen. We need fundraisers, grant writers, musicians, visionaries, we need whatever you got so we can provide this opportunity for Charleston girls to find their voices, realize how awesome they already are, and grow up to take over the world!

So yall know my name, so find me on the facespace if you're interested in pouring the gasoline on this project...

XOXO

loveyoumissyouall,

Jenna

Heather the man

2010-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

Within a few weeks of dating my current boyfriend, a mutual friend jokingly told him, "You do know you're dating a man, right." Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind that other girls view me as a hardass or inappropriate - but I do mind that I can't simply be myself and perform my gender the way I want to, without being called "manly."

It's never in a malicious way that it happens. And I know they don't mean anything about my physical appearance. But time and again, I am called out by female friends as being "manly" or in their minds, unnecessarily unfeminine. I am not shy around those I know - I burp, I fart, I talk about sexual conquests, and damn can I drink some fraternity men (boys really) under the table. But why does this have to be unfeminine? In fact, why does this have to be specific to the male gender? Why can I not drink an entire 12 pack and tell penis jokes all while I burp louder than your boyfriend can? Because I know he finds it quiet endearing. And on this note, it's never boys that have an issue with any of this. Not that it makes me "one of them," but it sets me apart from the fake bitches and luckily for me wards off frattastic assholes who are looking to lay the perfect southern bell.

Don't get me wrong, I like to spoil my men. I cook and clean for them and by damn, I will make them a sandwich and bring them a beer. But not until they show me some of the respect that I'm looking for, the respect that I deserve.

But back to the topic of "being manly." Another thing I often get criticized for is my "male-dominated" approach to conflict and relationships. I rarely cry and hug it out and I am stubborn as all hell. We will solve the problem in a firm, but respectful way and I will openly accept criticism. Not that I will like it, but I won't cuddle up in a ball, watching chick flicks, and eating chocolate icecream to make myself feel better. I'll probably have some chili and beer, and then proudly fart on my roommates...all while bumming around in sweats and wearing a tiara.

I like being a girl, in fact I love it. We get away with so much shit just off our looks and sexual charm. And in that way I abuse the hell out of the system - which I believe is uncharacteristically feminist - pseudo subscribing to the instated patterns of male dominance in such a way to mock and abuse its "power" of us.

I like being a girl, and I like being my own girl.

I like beer.

I like farting.

I like sex.

I like dick jokes.

I like cosmos.

I like smelling nice.

I like cooking.

I like BEING ME.

Every Prophet Had a Mother, Artist Statement

2010-12-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

Aldwyth, a Beaufort bricolage artist and indeliberate feminist, cut out every image of a turn-of-the-century encyclopedia and arranged them into a personal tapestry. Noticeable is the fact that women are almost entirely absent from the thousand-image spread. When I found this 1920’s Bible at a library book sale, I noticed the same thing: there are almost no women in the illustrations. Why? Because like the old encyclopedias, there are almost no women in the Bible.

Coming from a bonafide, gentrified, Sunday school upbringing, I have always been familiar with Bible stories. I learned all about Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, and Samson knocking down the pillars of the temple. I knew all the books of the Bible in order and could tell you about the super powers of prophets Isaiah, Elijah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and so on. But the stories that I am really interested in were never written in the Testaments, in fact they are remarkably written out. I want to know about the mothers of these men-- about their sisters and daughters and wives and mistresses and lovers. The women who made them who they were.

Why is it that the god of the Bible, arguably the backbone of Western religion, never bestowed prophetic powers on women, or if he did, they never made it into the Book? Why is it that only God and man get credit for miracles and divine prophecies? Why does a male god, the “Holy Father” get all the glory for knitting every child in his mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13)? What about the mothers who breastfed, bathed, clothed, and brought up these holy men “in the way they should go” (Is. 48:17)? Why are they so noticeably left out?

In Every Prophet Had a Mother, I try to talk back to this absence of women in the Bible. At this point, that’s all there really is to be done.

Wait, People Are Going To See This?

2010-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2010, was the opening and performance night of our class's art show, Sexpectation.

As a young artist, this was an interesting experience. It was my second time having work up, but my first time having it up for an opening where people were actually looking at it.

See, people looking at the art! Oh goodness.

I did my best to limit my time spent hanging around near my piece eavesdropping. In the end it wasn't too difficult because turns out I'm not that great of an eavesdropper, so I'm not really sure what people thought of my work. They definitely looked at it though. Maybe it was the half-naked girl, maybe it was the use of "fuck," maybe it was the fact that the photos were small, 4" x 6", so the viewer has to get reasonably close and pay attention to see exactly what's going on. Whatever it was, people were definitely looking.

"(De)construction", Hannah Reed (Model: Hannah Wathan), 2010

The part of my artist statement concerning this piece said this:

My other piece, “(De)construction” deals with constructing gender through appearance, especially based on clothing and body language. Through photographs and text, I want to challenge people to think about how they perceive and react to several categories of people: women, men, people that dress as the gender opposite of the one that they “should” dress as based on their sex, and people that define their gender identity as something other than purely man or woman, masculine or feminine. My word choices, “respect,” “fuck,” and “fear,” were specific and intentional, but I hope that they open individuals’ minds to general reflection on gender and how they perceive it.

I definitely had some anxiety about using the word "fuck" in my piece. I did it very intentionally - I wanted a word that, especially to my generation, can imply sexual desire, degradation, or both. I've always been raised to be "nice" (not because I was a girl, just because my family is like that) so I was little worried about offending people, but I think that most of the viewers received it as I intended it.

A couple of other aspects of the evening:

1. Jenna Lyles' superheroes! She encouraged all of her friends to come dressed as how they would look if they were themselves, but a superhero version. Here are some of them:

There were three people taking pictures so everyone was looking at a different camera. Don't they look awesome, though?

2. I was really impressed by the variety of people that showed up. Sure, many were fashionable folk that happened to be friends with people in our class, but there were also family members of all ages, people that just happened to stop by, and even BOYS. That is, boys and men, and people that gender themselves on the masculine side of the spectrum. And not just the two pictured below. Though I'd say the crowd was a majority women (I mean really, feminism and 70% female campus? It'd be unrealistic to expect otherwise), several men were there too. I think it's really important to get people of all sexes and gender identities into feminism, so this was super exciting. I even have photographic proof of their presence, as well as a picture of fashionable folk chatting:

Like OMG there were boys at our party!

So fashionable. And look at that snazzy work in the background.

3. I have to say, I felt like our presentation pretty much rocked, and the part that will remain up until January is continuing the rocking. The work, which is incredibly varied, ended up coming together in the space in an incredibly aesthetically appealing and intriguing manner. On display with the work are a kick-ass book (put together by Samantha Kasten, I think?) containing our artist statements, as well as a statement by our professor, Julie Jacobson, concerning the exhibit.

I feel like that little girl pretty much captures the spirit of our class towards the patriarchal art world. And the patriarchal world in general.

Overall I feel like the show was a huge success, and I'm proud of how it turned out. Hurrah for feminist art!

My Lovely Lady Artz

2010-12-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

So first of all, I'd like to formally retract any former declarations I may have made about "believing in crystals" in my artist statement. I think I was high on exam fumes when I said that. Ahem, how em-bah-rassing. Anyways, here are some photos of my work. Thanks to my friend Rachael Page for being my awesome model.

This class meant so much to me. Having a space designated where my passion and commitment to feminist art were validated and encouraged and allowed to grow was so important, especially for my last semester of college, as I ran towards the cliff edge of the void that is Life After Graduation. I cannot stress enough how important this class is, and how important feminism and art are, to the present and future of our culture. We are living on a planet which is deeply scarred, among other people who are deeply scarred and whose traditions, histories, souls and spirits have been and continue to be misused and deformed and dissolved. We live in a hegemonic, destructive mode of existence which licenses roughly half of the people on earth to exploit, oppress, damage, ignore, erase, and kill members of the other half of the global population, based solely on the binary gender system. This is called patriarchy. This hierarchical structure is also applied on the levels of race, class, age, and nationality, which all complicate one another. The theorist Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza dubbed this structure “kyriarchy” to signify the intersectionality which so complicates and exponentiates the basic hierarchical (and often dualistic) structure of oppression.

As feminist artists, we use our power to create to process and alter the world around us, to deny the infallibility of The Way Things Are, the kyriarchical state of current human existence. To create is, on a basic level, to envision and to make manifest our visions, (sometimes simultaneously). To be creative is to be “cosmically willing”, open to visions and dreams which we can channel through our bodies into physical realities interpretable and inhabitable by ourselves and other people. To be creative is to stare deeply into the “pit of one’s imagination”, to make oneself available to the generative/existential/relational energy which is coursing through ourselves, with which all living things positively reverberate. It doesn’t have to be as intentional or linear as I am making it sound--wherein you first conceive an idea and then gestate it and then render it in a technical process, in a calculated, forced, linear way--it is more flowly and unintentional, almost documentary in process. (All of the quotes are from Bianca Casady).

This ability to create, to make real our visions, is what makes us powerful as feminists and artists; it is what helps us heal from and process the damaging aspects of our culture and helps us reiterate and increase the hopefulness and strength of our own work and lives. It allows us to resist while also stepping away from the thing we are resisting; to engage with the negative aspects of our lived experiences while frontiering new spaces in which we can envision (and realize) different realities, which are not directly oppositional to our current realities, but are constructed from the desire to become whole, to somehow transcend the limits we find placed on us by ourselves, each other, and our culture.

Green Vs. Gold

2010-12-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

Although I was unable to set up my installation for the final show I still wanted everyone to be able to see it. I was trying to convey the way I feel about natural beauty versus man made beauty which is where I got the title green vs. gold. However, like most of my ideas, the finished product is not what I had intended it to be. I ended up exploring the idea of the kinds of faces that women make more so than whether or not they put on a lot of make-up and go through certain beauty rituals. I feel like everyone has two faces. One that is natural and one that is crafted when we are conscious of the way we look. This is the idea that I was trying to get across in this piece. I feel like I am not wording it as well as I could be but it usually takes me a while after making something to explain it properly.

Overall I like the way the piece turned out. It was an experiment of sorts and like most experiments it isn't perfect. There is a lot I would change given the opportunity to do it over but that isn't really relevant right now. I learned a lot from it and that knowledge will benefit me in future pieces to come.

As for my other two pieces in the show, I am pretty pleased with them as well. I have always had a specific style of drawing and painting but now I am starting to develop a style with the way I use fabric and paper and that is very exciting to me. I am sad that our class is over but I am definitely going to continue the trend in my work that it has started.

I have been going back and forth in my head about what it means to be an artist, a feminist, and a feminist artist and this internal dialogue has given me a lot of ideas for the future. I will be working a lot over the break so I should have some new work posted up before too long. I hope everyone in the class continues to make feminist art, especially those of you who don't really consider yourselves artists. Making art isn't just about what your making, the finished product. It is about the process and putting a part of yourself into that process. It really is the best therapy in the world and you learn things about yourself that you never knew through it.

lauren frances moore: on my work

2010-12-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

As one who is highly sensitive to and aware of my surroundings, I have been particularly taken by sculpture and its endless possibilities throughout my art education to date. Much of my work deals with dialogues of space and how it is filled, so naturally I have been drawn to installation as a means of creatively communicating with my audience. My installations tend to be large-scale and site-specific, so as to create immersive environments that engage the viewer on multiple levels. Elements of curiosity, often sparked by sensuous forms and material ambiguity, entice onlookers to step inside and become a part of the work.

a piece I made this summer at Franconia Sculpture Park

The forms I construct, though intentionally non-representational, are biomorphic and corporeal in a way that evoke shapes found in the natural environment. This term ‘natural environment’ can be observed in (at least) two different ways: the space around us, and the space within us. I like to blur the line between these two distinctions, exploring in my work the material and metaphorical qualities of the flesh, the body’s natural barrier between the interior and exterior.

Sculptor, Tory Fair, deals with a similar concept in her work (seen below). She says in her artist’s statement that her sculptures address “the often-troubled relationship between nature within our bodies and our communities and nature that surrounds us.” She creatively communicates this idea is by casting her own body in resin, a highly unnatural and toxic material that serves to, in a sense, fossilize her form in positions of contemplation and reverie.

Installation shot of Tory Fair's work

She aspires “to integrate the body, the sensual imagination, and nature into a discussion of the relative place of our selves in culture and in the environment at large.” In doing this, she says that her sculptures “begin with an assertion to see what is beyond the white wall.” This is an idea that I'm interested in exploring as it relates to the traditional presentation of art in a pristine gallery space, or "the white cube," as it is often referred to. Though it may not be overtly feminist, I think this idea is worth exploring in such a context. If we look at the tradition of exhibiting artwork as patriarchal and hierarchical than by pushing its boundaries, as Tory Fair does, we can perhaps make some kind of statement concerning how we, as female individuals, fit into this institution of the ideological white cube.

an installation I did for Redux on the left and a Tara Donovan on the right

Another artist I’ve been drooling over of late (an all-time favorite at the moment) is Tara Donovan (seen above). I was actually unfamiliar with her work when I made the installation for Redux (seen above), but the resemblance to her styrofoam cup installation is certainly undeniable. The more I look at Tara’s work the more I am drawn to non-traditional materials and their infinite capabilities. I love how she uses everyday manmade items, such as cups, pencils, tape, and paper to create the most lovely biomorphic installations that evoke images of the natural environment.

Like Tara Donovan, my sculptures at times appear to be slightly more material-driven than they are concept-driven. Or perhaps I should say that the concepts behind my work are derived from the materials that compose them. It’s more intentional than I make it out to be. I find myself heavily drawn to industrially manufactured home building materials, and the compelling artifice of their corporeality. My choice materials at this time, foam and fiberglass insulation, play critical roles in home building, yet their function and aesthetic are unseen and underappreciated by those they serve. By repurposing and manipulating these materials, I construct new, yet oddly familiar, synthetic habitats that address the visual complexity of the natural and the manmade, the interior and the exterior.

an installation I did at the Charleston County Public Library in June 2010

To construct these fabricated environments, I rely on the most basic element of design, the grid. Reminiscent of 3-D computer graphics, my use of the grid, which began as merely a means of structure, has become an aesthetic feature of my work. Rather than cover up the steel armature, as builders cover up fleshy insulation with drywall, I choose to highlight it. This use of the grid can be viewed as a nod to my minimalist/post-minimalist predecessors, such as the famed Eva Hesse (seen below).

an Eva Hesse on the left and a Lauren Moore on the right

I feel a particular kinship with Eva Hesse in our shared aesthetic and materiality. She was the pioneer of non-traditional materials, being the first to work with resins and plastics and the like. My professors are often warning me that if I don’t wear a respirator when I’m working with fiberglass that I just may end up like Eva… dead with a brain tumor! Unfortunately she died at the young age of 38, with only one solo exhibition under her belt, but her work lives on. She can be considered a pioneer for women in the art world as well, as she was one of the first women to make a big name for herself in the sixties and seventies. According to columnist Rachel Youens, “by converting minimalism’s rigid logic to concepts of the self and its boundaries, [Eva Hesse] created art in her own image, and for that, she was a woman ahead of her time.”

I like to think that my work fits into the context of Contemporary Minimalism and I anticipate that throughout my graduate studies my work will continue to be classified as such. I am fairly certain that I will stick with non-representational abstraction, for that is what intrigues me most, and seems to present the most possibilities. I plan to continue my material exploration, experimenting with new, non-traditional methods and materials, and I look forward to where this may take me. In the future, I plan to work on a variety of scales. I see myself making primarily site-specific work, both for galleries and public commissions, but I would also like to explore the possibilities of some corresponding 2D work, an area I’ve yet to focus much of my energies.

for more info...
my website
an article on Eva Hesse
an article on Tara Donovan

Femme Fatale?

2010-12-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

In my Media Criticism class the other day, we discussed feminist critique of media. In our lecture, we went through a series of terms related to feminism, all of which I was familiar with until the professor introduced, post-feminism. What is post-feminism? As defined in my media crit class, post-feminism believes that we have accomplished all the goals of feminism, now we’re past it, there is really no need for it anymore.

When reflecting on this definition, I think that a lot of people I know feel this way. In present society, feminism possesses a negative connotation for many. In the 1960’s, feminism was a positive social and sexual revolution with a driving enthusiastic youth force. So we now have access to birth control and abortion rights, now it’s over?

To get a very vague sense of what popular society thinks today, for fun, I googled “feminist” on Google images. All the images in the post popped up on the first page. What does that say to young girls today trying to wrap their heads around what feminism means? How will these negative images form their attitudes towards feminism?

It will prevent any progress. I am not one for radical action, but I believe that as individual women, we need to claim back our movement and squash the “man-hater” “femi-nazi” mentality. Third wave feminism is all encompassing. It includes women from all races, all classes, all religions. This is no wealthy, bored white women’s war anymore.

As young women, we must define for ourselves who we are, not who society expects us to be. This is a responsibility that requires conscious decision and constant perseverance. Often times the roles that society expects up to fill are restricting. Our creativity is limited, our voices are hushed, and our expressions are ignored. Life is defined by the obstacles we face and the actions we take to overcome them. We can chose to take a passive role, to follow the footsteps of many before us, or we can make the active decision to forge our own path. The active choice is by no means an easy one, but I believe it is the only way to reach personal fulfillment.

And when personal fulfillment for every single women is achieved, I believe then we can claim that we have reach post-feminism. But we have a lot of work to do. Battles may have been won, but the war is not over.

How to Avoid the Guillotine

2010-12-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

I by no means am about to argue that Marie Antoinette was a feminist. But I will say, she is my idol. Weird, I know. But she was partially an inspiration to me for my final project.

In my eyes, Marie Antoinette was innocent. Now, I could write volumes and volumes on it, and many had so I won’t go into details. But I will argue that she was a victim of the society she ruled. She was shipped off to France as a teenager far away from home, married to who many believe to be an awkward, mentally unstable stranger, and thrust onto the royal throne just after her 20^th birthday. She was expected to produce a male heir, her bed sheets were checked for blood daily, and her menstrual cycle was circulated to all the European royal courts. Her sex life, or lack thereof, was a political matter, and she was blamed for not being able to seduce her husband when he most likely had erectile dysfunction. Her ability to be a good wife dictated the political relationship between France and Austria.

She was beheaded and her name slandered throughout history. So my final project was a model guillotine covered with flowers to represent how innocent women simply fulfilling the roles society expects them to are ultimately beheaded.

The different roles that women are expected to fill are masked with appearances pleasing to the eye, but they ultimately will be the death of them. If they fail, it will be their own fault, in the eyes of society. The roles are decorated with flowers and glitter and smiling faces, but they manipulate women until they are stripped to nothing but labels, objects, or belongings.

Marie was fulfilling the role of mother, wife, and daughter, much like many of us today. Oh, and the title of Queen of France, but I believe it important for us to not allow society to stick our heads in a guillotine and without realizing it, we lower the blade on ourselves.

Scientist and Artist?

2010-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

When I read about the feminist art class that was being offered, I decided to register for it because 1) I wanted to get my final honors class out of the way and 2) I thought it would be interesting to READ about and LOOK at feminist art. I had no idea that I was actually supposed to produce my own feminist art. First day of class, I was terrified. I was never good at art, in fact I am the only one of my siblings who has no artistic talent whatsoever and I had accepted that. I focused on things I was good at: calculus problems and cells and organic molecules. I seriously thought about dropping the class, but after talking to some friends, they encouraged me to try the class. So I did.

It was definitely intimidating making art next to studio art majors. They knew so many techniques and had a vision, while I had no clue what I was doing. But certainly, being in class and discussing feminist artists and their styles and techniques gave me something to go by and helped me see the possibilities. Also, sketches and critiques during class tremendously helped me.

For our first project, our self portrait, I decided to make a collage. I thought really hard about my concept. I decided to have an outline of a bird, in which inside images of my filipino heritage and past would be and on the outside of the bird images of freedom. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to translate my concept into art. I redid my self-portrait and this time, I was more conscious of the images I chose and my design so the audience could understand my concept.

For my second project, since I was more aware of how my concept would be taken by an audience, I came up with a simple, obvious concept yet one I had thought about for a long time. This time, the project was to create a collage, which I had already done, but I wanted to collage on something besides a piece of paper. I looked around in my room for objects I had and I saw the plastic bottles I had been collecting to recycle. From there I thought, women could be seen as plastic bottles. Men take all of what they have to offer and then throw them away. I began cutting lips, eyes, boobs and butts and collaging them on plastic bottles.

For the third project, I was having a hard time thinking about an installation project. I had completely closed my mind to the possibility of a performance art. But then, a performance artist came to speak to our class and mentioned that performance art could be anything such as running around campus wearing costumes. Then, it came to me one day, I have this obsession with my butt. What if I did butt exercises and stare at my butt the whole time? My performance art ended up being a great idea and it was good for me to put myself out there.

I have learned a lot about myself from taking this class. I can be an artist if I put effort into it and I do have artistic abilities. I am very thoughtful and come up with good concepts. Plus, I can be creative in figuring out how to present my concept in a method that is feasible for me with my lack of drawing or painting skills. I have found that I like to make three dimensional work with themes of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I am an artist in my own right.

Helen Frankenthaler

2010-12-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

Helen Frankenthaler grew up in New York City during the Abstract Expressionism movement which began after WWII. Unlike previous artwork which focused on themes of social realism, Abstract Expressionism turned its focus on individuality and spontaneity. As seen in her paintings, Frankenthaler openly grasped these ideas and it characterized her career.

She introduced a new practice called Color Field painting. It stood apart from traditional painting in that the surface of the canvas is treated as a “field,” meaning there is no central focus. Artists who attempted this approach, had to emphasize the flatness of the surface of the canvas and create a sense of tension by overlapping and interacting areas of flat color.

To create such artwork, Frankenthaler invented soak-stain technique, a method in which she allowed liquid paint to seep into the canvas. She was able to manipulate pools of paint by thinning her oil paint with turpentine and using wipers and sponges.

From frequent summer trips with her family, Frankenthaler grew a love for nature so some of her paintings are of landscape, sea and sky. In 1952, she created her most popular piece, Mountains and Sea. Her lover at the time, Clement Greenburg, an art critic took artists Kenneth Noland and Morris Lewis to see her piece. They were evidently inspired by her work as they began experimenting with her soak-stain technique, thereby joining in the Color Field movement.

She continued to experiment with art in the 1980’s and 1990’s with clay, steel sculpture as well as designing sets and costumes for England’s Royal Ballet.

For me, it’s easy to be a fan of Frankenthaler’s work. For one, I bright colors and she utilizes them persistently in her pieces. In addition, I love the style she chose. My favorite kind of art is the kind that can evoke an emotion, a feeling just from looking at the colors and lines. This particular piece gives me a whimsical feeling.

Helen Frankenthaler’s method and creations are in themselves remarkable. But the time period she was able to accomplish them is even more amazing. She was producing art during a time when male artists were dominating. When I searched for history on Abstract Expressionism, not one female artist was mentioned. While her method was inspired by a male artist, she was still able to come up with an idea she could call her own. And she was able to create art that could stand on its own.

What is it to be "feminist?"

2010-12-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

I still don't really know. I just know that those who recognize the injustices against women, and against many people in our world, and want to do something about it are on my team. Our ability to do something to bring about change is often small, but the desire for change is enough. The art we have created says something about our individual situations. From the pressures of being sexualized, to the desire to be more than a beloved lady, to insecurities about body image, we've learned a lot about each other and ourselves. Mostly ourselves, because as others reflected and created, we continually saw what we had in common; our experiences as women are remarkably similar.

My eyes have been opened to issues that concern me. One huge issue I wish I could see resolved is the problem of violence against women in the military. Any woman who gets involved in military life, either from enlisting or from marrying into the lifestyle, faces much higher risks of violence and harassment from men. Studies vary on their findings about harassment in the military, but it is estimated that 90% of women under 50 who served in the US military have experienced some type of sexual harassment, and that one in three women who serve are raped. How ironic it is that our country encourages blind patriotism, yet when a woman proudly wants to sacrifice and serve, she faces many more challenges than she would in the civilian world. Moreover, she is less protected; many men who cause women this kind of grief and trauma are not even prosecuted.

One former soldier turned journalist reports that the misogyny engrained in the men (and women) starts as soon as basic training. When 17 and 18 year old recruits must sing cadences about their worthless girlfriends at home sleeping with civilian men who are "less of men" than they are, it is believable that the military is intentionally training not just violent warriors but also misogynists and self-hating women. This blatant sexism combined with the ever-resounding comments about their coworkers being manly and unattractive, it is no wonder that the common military view of women is that of dividing into a few categories: whore, dyke, and bitch.

Though the military may offer brotherhood and camaraderie for the men who join, women rarely experience the same kind of bond. There are few women, and those who are there have experienced horrific sexism. When women cannot go to their sisters or to their superiors to report the offenses committed against them, it is impossible to empower them.

When the women who are supposed to be equals in the workplace experience this kind of violence and sexism, it isn't surprising that the wives at home face the same thing. It is even less likely that wives will report the violence they experience because many are concerned for their husband's careers. Also, there is little chance that these women will be shown any kind of privacy or confidentiality, and for this enduring having their marriage issues publicly known, there are very few victim services provided. However, when anonymously surveyed, almost 30% of women in military communities reported "lifetime intimate partner violence."

In a country that encourages voluntary support and self-sacrifice from its citizens, the statistics showing such sexism against volunteers and wives that support them are staggering.

As feminists, what part should we play? Obviously we would love to be superheroes who fly in and save these hurting women from their own devastating situations, but in reality where this is not possible, what can we do? If the superiors are men (and sometimes women) who simply don't care, civilians have little power. If the government doesn't acknowledge the predicament and places tax issues and petty arguments between parties above the well-being of the members of the forces who provide their security, it is unlikely we can change their minds. So, if we are feminists, yet can do little to stop the injustice, what is it that we're supposed to do?

Don't become another statistic. For every man who abuses his wife, there is a wife who is too fearful to leave. For every ignored rape case, there is a woman who gives up on making herself heard. If all we can do is protect ourselves and shed light on unfair situations, then maybe that in itself is the role of a feminist in our world.

http://www.endabuse.org/userfiles/file/Children_and_Families/Military.pdf

http://usmvaw.com/violence-against-military-wome/

More Feminine than Feminist

2010-12-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

I said in my previous entry that I find it hard to call myself an artist, but to a certain degree, I guess, we all are. It's a little different tobe only a degree of feminist. Though I agree with some aspects of the movement, I can't say a truly represent what a feminist in today's world would and should be. Maybe it's because there are certain aspects of the male-female relationship that I don't mind, and agree to look over. Maybe I just don't understand where many feminists are coming from or what their thought processes are.

One thing I do know for sure is they make some bad ass art. Never in my life have I seen women express themselves in the way feminists artists do. They bring art to a whole new level, something that I just cannot compete with. I must say I'm more feminine than feminist when it comes to art and other aspects of the creative world. I'd rather look at flowers and scenes of nature, or portraits of royalty than the graphic and provocative art of the contemporary feminists artists.

I've learned a lot this past semester about the feminist way of life, and it's most certainly not all serious and artsy. I got to see some pretty awesome women dressing up in aprons and wigs running around the downtown area blasting music in a Starbucks just to make a scene. I wore a headband at my first ever art show that made me feel like I was a woman from the 1920s with the mesh seductively hanging over my eyes. I painted my hands red for art. I received inspiration from many great feminist artists of our time.

Needless to say, I learned a lot. And though I myself may never embrace what it truly means to be a feminist, I give you my first and, most likely, last feminist statement...

Now, I hope no one is offended... Sarcasm fully intended.

The End of a Process

2010-12-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

I am not an artist. Or, if you had asked me a few months ago, that's what I would have said. Since I began taking our feminist art class, I have felt more and more like a creative, open mind in an oppressive world. I know that an artist doesn't have to be an art major; we are all artists in some respect.

In my art, I have tried to express the unrealistic expectations of women. The liberation that has occurred in the last 50 years has not changed the expectations to those that are similar to those of men, but it has simply added greater expectations to the ones already placed on women. We are expected to be nurturing, quiet, kind, loving, supportive, and happy, but we are also expected to be intelligent, successful, and independent.

Often, feminists seek out female empowerment and think constantly about the oppression women face from men, but the topic of healthy relationships with a male in a male-dominated world is neglected. I aimed to address this subject through my art. Though the images from mass media in my work are used to bring out the injustice of a patriarchal society, the goal of my work is not to subvert and overturn it. I only aim to have catharsis through the creation of art and to encourage others to reflect on the issues that I struggle with.

My first source of inspiration was a local artist, Aldwyth. She makes intricate collages and turns everyday objects into works of art.

The combination of my ideas about expectations of women as portrayed in the media and inspiration from her collages drove me to create my collaged jewelry box, Expressionless.

I struggled with coming up with what to do for my final project. I didn't know what could possibly reflect all that I had learned about myself and the world I'm in that I would be able to complete and display. While researching artists, however, I found Dorothy Netherland. She is a local artist who paints on panes of glass. The layers give dimension to her work in a visual sense, but this depth portrays to the viewer the multifaceted nature of all the situations she presents.

Pop Tart, Dorothy Netherland

She aims to address the domestic issues and maternal expectations, but her goal is not necessarily to create social commentary. She uses images from 1950s media to begin her creations, but subverts the images in some way not just to tell a different story but also to humanize such obviously superficial images.

I loved Netherland's medium of ink and paint on glass, and I wanted to give it a try. I decided instead to collage and paint on layers of glass in frames, and I addressed expectations of women and relationships between men and women.

I hope that the multi-layer frames showed that there are often issues hidden beneath the surface of every situation.

Pop art, compulsion, and repetition: artistic influences

2010-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

My Installation

Self portrait

Coming back to my final piece and if I am to create more in the future, I will share some of my influences. The artists who inspired my final piece are artists who I like for aesthetic reasons and I guess for their attitude. My first inspiration is Andy Warhol. Yes, I know he is not a feminist, but I am am attracted to his work for aesthetic reasons. He is an interesting artist because it is hard to separate what he says about himself and his art and what is actually true versus a constructed image.

"Marilyn Monroe's Lips"

I love the Jackies, the Marilyns,and Marilyn Monroes lips. I like these because I recognize the women and they are pretty.Even though beauty is one of those many discussed aspects of what is important in art, I still enjoy seeing his colors and images. Warhol has been quoted as saying, “I just see Monroe as another person. As for whether it’s symbolical to paint Monroe in such violent colors: it’s beauty, and she’s beautiful and if something’s beautiful it’s pretty colors, that’s all. Or something." The colors he chose: the pepto pinks, turquoises, yellows, and reds are very appealing to me. My final project drew color inspiration and I guess I could say attitude from Warhol. Many of the images Warhol used are about the buying and selling of commodity goods. The nature of the US market has not changed and so I think a type of pop art can still be relevant.

My next influence is Yayoi Kusama nicknamed the Princess of Polka Dots. Kusama was born in Japan in 1929. She came to New York when she was 27 and became involved with the avantgarde movement. She created her “Infinity Net” paintings soon after moving to New York. These paintings are covered in infinite loops. This obsessive, repetitive quality becomes a foundation in her work and continues into the present. She actively fights against cubby holing and is a combination of conceptual, post-minimalist, feminist, and performance artist. She was notorious in the 60’s and broke constraints of medium and subject matter. Since 1977 she has been living by choice in a Tokyo mental institution. She has even said that if it were not for her art she would have killed herself long ago.

"Accumulation #2"

Her most famous works involve the repetition of dots or loops. These images come and obsession come from hallucinations she had as a child. She works out this obsession through polka dots, stuffed fabric, accumulations, crochet works, installations, and happenings. Her “Accumulation #2” is a sofa covered in phallic objects. She covers many domestic objects with her extrusions. She covers herself and rooms with polka dots and maximizes the effect with mirrors.

"Dots Obsession" Installation

I am drawn to her work because of her compulsions and her materials. Her work is very interesting to say the least. I think it is powerful because of her repetitive use of forms. Her installations and even her compulsion furniture look like they are out of some fantasy movie set. I wanted to emulate her obsession in my work. I enjoy work like Kusama and also Eva Hessa where the physicality of the process and the materials are shown. If I could have, I would have filled an entire wall with my polly pocket clothes specimens.

My last artist is regional artist Dorothy Netherland. Her paintings consist of images drawn from 1950s magazines. In her artist statement, she says she works in reverse on panes of glass using ink and acrylic paint. She works on glass because it gives her room to experiment and it also suggests impermanence.

Her “cast of characters” emerge from 1950’s magazines but she gives them their own narrative and personal history by subverting the original context. To Netherland, these women represent a false sense of feminity. In the artists own words they try to “sell the idea of the perfect house, family, life, the false idea of attainable perfection.” In her narratives there are many themes such as family, memory, maturity, and motherhood. The narratives she creates by arranging her characters is through her imagination. By placing them in a different context she rewrites their own history. Netherland is fascinated by the myths of personal histories and how these manifest.

"Camo"

Netherlands work is attractive to me, but I was more inspired by the meaning behind her work. Like with Warhol, I am drawn to the pop art phenomenon of appropriating images. This is also a feminist way of repossessing negative images that fulfill stereotypes. I found in many of Netherland’s images like “Camo”, “Poptart”, and the “Poser” series, the same type of conflict I wanted to convey. The mass media portrays femininity one way and not every one grows up feeling this way.

"Poser 2"

"Camo"

"Poser 2"

More info:

Yayoi Kusama

http://www.kusamadocumentary.com/project.php

http://www.gagosian.com/artists/yayoi-kusama/

Dorothy Netherland

http://dorothynetherlandatifart.blogspot.com/2008/09/essay-dorothy-netherland.html

http://dorothynetherland.com/about.html?amountLoaded=0%2E99555251333895

speaking of the housewives

2010-12-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm guilty. I absolutely adore the Desperate Housewives. In highschool I would cringe and roll my eyes whenever my mom (or anyone for that matter) would try to bring up the housewives in conversation, but after joining in on the femme frenzy I can't help but relate their wacked-out scenarios to everyday life.

Just yesterday in Painting class, a classmate dropped a DH reference when discussing our assigned reading, a book called Chromophobia. She mentioned Renee's stripped-down sleek white home interior which gives an air of snobbishness and superiority. In our class discussion, we related this to the hierarchical nature of the stark white traditional gallery space, an idea I discussed in my previous post on Tory Fair.

According to Ellen Goodman of the Washington post, Desperate Housewives "is either post-feminist or pre-feminist. It's too racy or too retro. It's either an example of the backlash or a product of the cultural collapse." I say its just an over-exaggerated satirized reality. We all identify with one if not all of the shows characters. There's Gaby the flirt, Bree the perfectionist, Susan the ditz, and Lynnette the kick-ass exec turned stay at home mom. They show people like me just how complicated being a "housewife" can really be. I think the show is grounded by the fact that, though its cast is nothing but sexy, it doesn't glamorize the shenanigans these ladies get themselves into. It shows the utter complexity of a life so often snubbed by women in the workforce and showcases the value in choosing such a path. Not to mention its hilarious.

Teri Hatcher! Thank you!

2010-12-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about the "Desperate Housewives" television series, and I certainly don't know much about the lead actress Teri Hatcher. But in an interview with Oprah, Teri responds to the allegations against her of using botox and having plastic surgery and sticks up for the real girls by sharing a video.

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/On-the-Desperate-Housewives-Set-with-Teri-Hatcher-Video

She later expresses in the interview that she herself has a hard time discerning what the reality is. She sees photos and videos of herself looking absolutely incredible, goes home and looks in the mirror. She states she has found both of these realities to be rewarding. That she enjoys being fabulous, being herself, being human, and being real.

This video has a striking resemblance in the first half to Dove's evolution ad. Finding Teri Hatcher in comparison to this is like an extended version. Finally a well-known celebrity says, "It's my turn, pass me the camera." I wish this would inspire celebrities everywhere to publish such videos. Tabloids would not exist. The mystery behind who has the worst dark circles under their eyes or cellulite could just be owned up to. And without embarrassment. Just the fact that they say, "I'm human, so quit trying to look like me, because I can't even do that." could be a sigh of relief for high school and college girls across the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

"I think the only thing I can say is, I'm willing to be naked in the bathtub on behalf of women feeling good about themselves, and I hope it helps."

feminist artist?

2010-12-13T18:54:00.001-08:00

I took this class as an excuse to take another art class, since I hadn’t had one since high school, but the class became so much more. To be honest, though I’ve always like making art, it’s always been a hobby, and I never thought about it enough to really make a piece with an express purpose. I've also never honestly considered myself an "artist," let alone any particular kind of artist, like a "feminist artist." Art has always been what I've done in my spare time, after all.

I'm still hesitant to call myself an artist (though if I am one, I'm very definitely a feminist artist), but my work has definitely taken on greater meaning than it did before this class. I’ve really learned a lot about expressing myself as a woman through my work. Until this class my work was never politically charged with a great underlying message. While I’ve always hoped my work could convey emotion to the viewer, in my feminist pieces I now strive to communicate the specific issues that affect my everyday life. I have a more targeted goal. Of course, one of the things I really love about art is that every viewer brings with them their own experiences and opinions, so no matter what you’re trying to convey everyone will have their own interpretation. It’s really cool when people get exactly what you were going for, and really interesting to see what they come up with when they come at it from a different direction then you did...

Over time, my style has dramatically changed. In all of my previous art classes I was trained to work very carefully and methodically, but I’m really a very impatient person who likes to dive in without too much planning.

This is a close up from a self portrait I did in high school, and it took fucking forever. It's a collage of individual letters, and it's a lot larger than this in real life...I don’t think I could do it now! But I really love it.

My impatience and desire for immediacy has had a great influence on my more current work, which has a greater emphasis on emotion and color than it does accuracy. Although I’ll spend a lot of time contemplating what I want my subject matter to be, once I’ve decided, I enjoy diving into whatever I’m doing, using my hands as often as I use tools. In high school, I enjoyed focusing on perfecting all the small details in a painting, but I now take a greater interest in the process itself than the final product. As a result, my work is a lot less neat than it used to be, but it’s more engaging to make, and I like the looseness of my more current work.

Since the focus of my interest has shifted, so have my primary art supplies. As I grew up I gravitated towards colored pencils and graphite because of the level of control they offer. In the past few years I’ve started experimenting with building up texture, especially layering different types of papers and paints. The two pieces in this show are primarily done in large, blunt oil pastels, which are difficult to be too fussy with. I like the way the finished product with oil pastels generally still resembles a sketch, or has that loose quality to it, since preliminary sketches have always been my favorite part of the painting process.

2 songs that should never be considered feminist, but I'm going there.

2010-12-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize I had become such a big fan of nineties music or so in sync with my feminist self, until listening to the radio on my way to the grocery store. Suddenly, all of my windows were down, sun roof open, and I'm SINGING with the 4 Non Blondes "What's Up" as loud as I can. Half way through the first set of "hey hey hey hey"s I got to the grocery store and contemplated the meaning of the lyrics. She's pissed off. This world is made by men and for men, and here she is just struggling. "What's going on?" I'm proud of her ballsy exclamation of this as I hum the tune to this song up and down the pasta aisle.

But right now I'm just pissed. What am I supposed to DO about it? I've got my feelings down pat. I check out, get in my car, and find that the bridge at 102.5 has a direct connection to my feminist unconscious and blares Shania Twain's female agency in my face. "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" is a surprisingly empowering song. My drive home is incredibly similar to my drive to the store as I'm still singing loud but with an extra umph! behind it. We're singing together about all the freeing things we are gonna do as women. And yeah, in the song, they're pretty stupid. "Color my hair- do what I dare" But she also sings about needing a break, screwing political correctness, and wearing some man clothes. The line in her song that really gets me the most is "I wanna be free to feel the way I feel," saying that the full actuality of attaining status as a woman hasn't happened yet but she sure is fighting for it!

PS check out the gender reversals in both music videos!

tory fair: beyond the white wall

2010-12-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

I am really taken by this artist, Tory Fair, who was featured in the October issue of Sculpture Magazine. I gasp every time I flip fast this page-sized image (shown above) in the magazine. This figure is so yummy... I'm still not entirely sure what it is about it that grabs me so. Tory says in her statement about this body of work, that her sculptures "begin with an assertion to see what is beyond the white wall."

This is an idea that I'm interested in exploring as it relates to the traditional presentation of art in a pristine gallery space, or "the white cube," as it is often referred to. Though it may not be overtly feminist, I think this idea is worth exploring in such a context. If we look at the tradition of exhibiting artwork as patriarchal and hierarchical than by pushing its boundaries, as Tory Fair does, we can perhaps make some kind of statement concerning how we, as female individuals, fit into this institution of the white cube.

I think that we have been successful in doing a bit of this in our class exhibition, Sexpectation. Perhaps we've ruffled a few faculty feathers by how crowded the show is and the manner in which some of the pieces have been hung, but isn't that kind of what we're going for? I think the fact that our exhibition included a good deal of not-so-traditional work such as installations and performances, contributes to this theme of bucking the established norm. Way to go girls. The ways of dealing with this concept are endless, but for now I leave you to contemplate Tory Fair's figures that, as Tory hopes, "integrate the body, the sensual imagination, and nature into a discussion of the relative place of our selves in culture and in the environment at large."

I hope this isn't too whiny...

2010-12-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

My last post was about the media’s effect on women’s body image – so I thought it would make sense to next talk about my own.

My own body image is something I rarely discuss out loud, but is a constant a part of my regular internal dialogue. Actually, both of those are slight understatements: in truth, I never, ever, ever discuss my negative body image with anyone, and inside my head it’s a constant, angry battle between my idea of the ideal body, the skin I actually live in, and my frustration for even giving a damn about what other people think about my body. I mean, I’m stuck with what I got. Shouldn’t I just like it?

My therapist today told me that I have to tell two people over break how I feel about my body. So, here it goes: I don’t like my body. Actually, I really hate my body. And it bothers me all the fucking time.

As a feminist, this is something that really annoys me. It’s possible that I give myself an equally hard time about being hard my body as I do actually hating on my body. After all, why the hell should I even compare my body to society’s crazy, starving, prepubescent body ideal? As a side note, I have no idea how that fuck it got popular (Twiggy?). I mean, it takes hips to make babies. You can’t even get pregnant without a certain percentage of body fat (15%ish? And only then if you’re absurdly fit).

I’m not completely sure how to connect this to art, other than revisiting the body ideal presented by the media, like I talked about in my last post. We’re constantly berated with ways to make ourselves gorgeous – in six minute workouts. What about, you are gorgeous? You know. Like, right now. Like, without doing shit with an exercise ball.

(I guess that if we didn’t need to change something about ourselves, we wouldn’t be doing much for the American consumer culture.)

I had an interesting experience this weekend. I’ve always loved running, and this weekend I ran the Kiawah Half Marathon (it was pouring rain the whole time. The race itself kind of sucked. But that's not what's important here). Everyone there looked so normal. They were about t run either 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles, and yet they looked like totally normal people, not crazy thin models. They looked normal, but they looked damn good. I think I’d rather have a body that can run for miles than squeeze into a size -6.

The truth is, you can’t starve your body and demand much from it at the same time.

It was refreshing, and eye opening. And the food afterward was damn good.

2010-12-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

My family history can be cataloged through hundreds of quilts and cross-stitching patterns. Each one given handmade by a Mom, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Wife, Daughter, or Sister to commemorate a special day for a loved one. I personally received three quilts from my great grandmother, four cross-stitches from my aunt, countless handmade dresses and clothes from my mother, and three homemade pillows from my grandmother. Each were given for a milestone birthday, a special dance, a particular holiday, or because they were thinking of me.

When I was eight years old I remember getting my first sewing machine along with five spools of thread, about fifteen swatches of fabric, and one two yard piece of fabric that promised to make my dreams come true to become a fabulous seamstress.

I made my very first pillow with that fabric. It was a blue background with smiling teddy bears with red bow ties on. As an eight year old I stayed up way past my bedtime to complete what would soon become the centerpiece of my next several show-and-tell events. I was so proud.

Several events like this continued to occur. I made pillows, quilts, cross-stitching patterns of old cathedrals with a paragraph Bible verse underneath it. I grew more impatient and less proud of the work I did with the less appreciation I received when I gave it away. By middle school, I hated it. I was so mad my mother had instilled in me this desire to work so hard for useless things. I also found myself in a very well-to-do private school where I felt incredibly redneck. I'm afraid I was, and still am a little redneck.

As the years go by, I now find myself a college student still sleeping with two handmade quilts from my great-grandmother. I realize the true value of this work. The comfort and solstice it brings to me is irreplaceable. These mixed feelings culminated in a work I produced for the "Sexpectations" exhibition.

I worked on this piece riding in the car, watching, tv, while listening to music, while waiting on laundry... It took a long time, but I felt good doing it remembering my mother in the car on a long ride at night with her book light out working on a cross-stitching piece. I also can't lie that it felt good tying the noose on the end and hanging it in a gallery for a lot of people to see. I was so proud.

Currently, I am pricing sewing machines.

Haley Specter... Feminist Artist???

2010-12-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

When asked the first day of class why we chose to enroll in a feminist art class, I was one of the few students that admitted to it being an honors requirement that I was getting out of the way. I can honestly say that I was extremely lucky that my original special topics class got cancelled, which put me into this class by default. I really enjoyed the non-structured learning environment and also loved getting to know all of my classmates through their art.

In the few high school art classes I took, I learned that art is a powerful way of communicating feelings and emotions that can be felt but not spoken, however I never applied that to feminism. When looking back at my old work, I discovered that it had somewhat of a feminist undertone. This one below was named “Sexual Predators” by one of male classmates and I think the name is fitting. It has shadows of unidentified men watching the two beautiful female figures moving with precision. At the time I did not realize the implications of my work, but now I do believe it is very feminist and projects the idea of female appearance and male obsession with the female body.(The quality of this picture is bad but it is framed in my kitchen at home and my dad had to take it and email it which is why it is offcenter). This is acrylic (the women are actually black and the men different variations of brown) and is much larger than it looks.

"Sexual Predators" 2007

The techniques used in the piece above was my inspiration to my final project (below), which is titled Autumn of Body Image. In the world of feminist art, I as an artist have grown to appreciate the form of the female body. In this piece, I attempted to break down the boundaries that have been set by the media and other socially constructed views of what is beautiful. In my work, I used acrylic on wood canvas to portray voluptuous shaped women- tree hybrids shedding their dead leaf thoughts of skinny and stereotypically beautiful woman. The colors I used are very natural to represent the organic beauty and natural power of women. I began my creative journey by painting women that our society would coin as overweight. To make these women more universal, they do not have heads, but instead their upper body branches off into multiple intertwining limbs to show their connection. Slowly collecting at the bottom of the piece are an array of autumn colored leaf shaped women who are daintily falling from the limbs of the women-tree hybrids. These leaves represent the women shedding the societal restraints of what is a beautiful body image.

"Autumn of Body Image" 2010

I would just like to reiterate that I really enjoyed this class and would like to thank Julie and everyone else for making it worthwhile. I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

I Tell Ya… Who Would Have Thought??!

2010-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Although I have always exposed myself to art, I only witnessed the wonders of art through the roles of a viewer/ observer and art critic. After enrolling in College of Charleston’s Studio Art: In Third Wave Feminism class, I was then able to create my own art and experience this amazing process firsthand. The feeling associated with creating successful and meaningful art is irreplaceable. My art tends to focused more towards feminist activism (overall), while presenting concepts that are in direct correlation to African American women. My goal is to expose the hidden restraints of society to the public eye. We as Americans are presented with misconstrued images of beauty, racial slurs, and “pre-determined” characteristics of gender. However, I am suggesting that once these restraints are out in the open, it is then the viewer’s task to redefine his/her own accurate and personal representations of these categories.

When creating my pieces or works of art, my intention is to tell a very direct story and address one specific point. Nevertheless, I attempt to leave a vague idea open so that the viewer can then create his/her own conclusion about the piece. In other words, as my art presents each story piece, I create the exposition, expose the climax, and allow the viewer to finalize the falling action and conclusion.

I know that I have always had a way with words, as my life is its own story. My art technique henceforth includes the usage words and images in a visually appealing manner to get my very direct point across to the viewer. My favorite tools when creating art include everyday objects. I enjoy reconstructing the concept or idea associated with daily used objects. For example, my piece Revised Playhouse, is composed of normal pre-school playhouse blocks and regular stickers that happen to correlate with the idea that society enforces the concepts of gender on children at a young age.

Beauty¸ is only a collage of words correlated to a daily used object. Words chosen are phrases expressed when an everyday individual compares herself to the model images presented in the media and in society. Emphasized words are those that American women should consider when using these objects. I am suggesting that we need to be our own trendsetters, not the media.

Our Weave Piece is a collage of African American hair images and different styles of African American hair. African American hair is a topic generally not understood by other people. The piece presents an up-close representation of the variety of styles, different textures, and historical complexity found in story of African American hair. I am challenging the stereotypes associated with African American hair and instead exposing the beauty and creativity correlated with such an “unmanageable”, “unruly,” and “wooly” genre of hair.

A Painting Inside a Picture, That's 2000 Words

2010-12-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't particularly call myself an artist by any means, so I was surprised to find that there have been more than a few artists movements since the turn of the 2oth Century;Op Art, Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Post-Modernism... The list goes on. One that stuck out to me in particular, as well as influences some of my own "art," was the movement called Photorealism. I can't say that my art had anything to do with the process in which Photorealistic art is created, however the subject matter is similar. I find that art can be found anywhere, at anytime. It is not something special or posed for, but rather what is "everyday." I like that art can be made out of the painting of two little pink cupcakes, as seen on the right. I bet you couldn't even tell that the painting at the top left was even a painting. In passing, most people would see these two works as either a photograph gone wrong, or decoration for a little girl's room involving the ever so tedious placement of pink cupcakes.

Photorealism stemmed from the Minimalist and Pop Art movements of the 1960s and 1970s, countering the Abstract Expressionist movement. The movement sparked some criticism because of its use of pictures or multiple pictures to gather information to create these paintings. However, this was not a major concern as it was used several centuries earlier to aid in the production of paintings. Many artists use screen projectors to transfer the pictures into highly realistic paintings. This movement was also a reaction to the massive increase in photographic media in the 20th century.

As fascinating and provocative as abs

tract art and sculpture is, there is something to realism that makes it more interesting and incredible, to me at least. Maybe it's the fact that any five year old could reconstruct a Picasso painting (nothing against the man, of course), or maybe it's the fact that I would rather not stand in front of a painting for hours contemplating what the artist's views on the subject is or even what the subject is. Art is about expression, and there is no point in expressing yourself if no one knows what you are trying to express.

Photorealism fascinates me because of how real it appears. Finding these images was difficult because it is so hard to tell the difference between what is actually a photograph and what is Photorealism. The mystery only adds to the appeal of the movement.

Andy Goldsworthy and the Vulnerability of Art in Nature

2010-12-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

When I saw the “Rivers and Tides” video about the work of Andy Goldsworthy, I was blown away by his work, and this definitely inspired me in creating my final piece. Goldsworthy is a British artist who has done artwork in a number of places including the North Pole, the United States, Japan, and the Australian Outback. His work is incredible, and it is even more amazing that he creates such wonderful and vulnerable works completely in nature. He wants to learn about nature and its element through actively participating in nature. He says, "I enjoy the freedom of just using my hands and "found" tools--a sharp stone, the quill of a feather, thorns…I stop at a place or pick up a material because I feel that there is something to be discovered. Here is where I can learn."
Although he is a male artist, I believe that there is something very feminist about his work in that it is so vulnerable and so connected to nature. Andy Goldsworthy spends the time to create a work of art outdoors only to see it be blown away by the wind or taken away with the current of a river. He photographs his work once after he makes it, but beyond that nature is free to destroy it. And in his willingness to be vulnerable in his work, I believe that he is making feminist art on some level. Granted, his work is not as obviously feminist as the work of artists like Judy Chicago or Barbara Kruger, and it is not feminist in theme, but it is highly feminist in its vulnerability and fragility, and I believe there is something very feminist about using natural materials from the earth as well.
I was really inspired by his willingness to experiment with natural materials, to learn through the creative process, and to be vulnerable. So, in my final piece I decided to experiment by mixing natural materials like sand with traditional materials like oil paints, and I decided to build a fragile nest of beach wood as the focal point of my final piece.

*Quote/ biographical information and images from http://www.morningearth.org/artistnaturalists/an_goldsworthy.html.
“Rivers and Tides” video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcdL8uO71E&feature=related

Remembrance

2010-12-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

When I was assigned to do a piece of installation art for this feminist art class, I was a bit intimidated; I had never done installation art before, and I had no idea where to begin. My mind was literally a blank slate—installation art, and especially feminist installation art—was definitely uncharted territory for me. So, I began looking around Charleston for inspiration. One weekend, I went out exploring Charleston with my camera, hoping that something in the city would spark an idea in my head. I intentionally wandered into a couple graveyards, hoping to just get some nice shots of the intricate, old headstones. However, as I was exploring these graveyards, I noticed a trend: nearly every female who had past was merely remembered by a generic label like “mother” or “daughter” or “wife” or “beloved.” I thought to myself: there must be more to these women. Granted, women are mothers, daughters, and beloveds and those roles are important, but should they completely define these women, or should they be remembered for more? Women are powerhouse executives, inspiring artists, and musicians. They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, counselors, soldiers, mentors, and friends. Women are so much more complex than just the marital relationships they are in or the familial labels which are placed on them; they are not that one-dimensional. And as I said, I am not at all discrediting the importance of being a mother or a wife or a daughter, but I do think that women should be remembered for who they really were and the changes they made in this world.
So, I decided to take a number of photos of women’s gravestones around the Charleston area. Then, I edited those photos and made eight of them into large black and white prints, and in some of the prints I hand-colored one aspect of the photo using a combination of oil paints, gel medium, and crushed pastels. I anchored all of these photos around a large antique ceiling tile. Through this process, I found myself imagining who these women really were and wondering what their lives were like. Women are influential people, and I think that we often overlook the fact that they really are more, and therefore they should be remembered for more.

*I have included some of the photographs that I took of the gravestones around Charleston.

2010-12-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Rather than focusing on my final product (a sculpture), I would like to address my inspiration and thought process in creating it.

Seeing as I have an interest in architecture, it was intriguing, if not surprising, to note how few female architects there are, and even fewer who have achieved recognition as greatness. Although I may not agree with her ideology, Zaha Hadid is an accomplished female architect and is making a name for herself.

“Zaha Hadid, founding partner of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and is internationally known for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary experimentation and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design.” [1]

She believes in neo-vernacular architecture as the form of architecture that should be dominant, and finds the contextual demands of her buildings trivial. She would love to create a city without looking back at historical ideas.[2] I disagree with her ideas of disregarding the past as well as the context of a building, and personally prefer less international style design; but I did incorporate her perspective into my art. My sculpture reflects her sense of ideal creation rather than mine. I avoided classical techniques, materials, and subject matter; I created an abstract sculpture out of cardboard. The cardboard signifies not only a divergence from the past but also a nod toward current and future ideas about sustainability and the green movement. The shape is architectural rather than strictly sculptural, and combines nontraditional forms with a more modern concept of space and interaction between elements. I read somewhere that women and the female figure have served as muses for architecture for centuries; that is, with men solely occupying the role of architect. So how is it that women inspired design for so long, but were not permitted to create it? There is obviously a connection between women and design, so why not let us see where it could take us?

Cairo Expo City, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

The other component of my piece is a series of photographs of women in my life, and the myriad roles they play. Looking at the women in my life and how they have helped shape me into the person I am today, it was hard to imagine a world without them. Or a world without women at all. We play such a vital role in creating and maintaining the human species that it is hard to understand why we are expected to play such a minor, insignificant role in society. How much of what we say and do perpetuates stereotypical gender roles? Are we contradicting ourselves in what we say we want and what we do? Is there a double standard for what women expect? It is a tangled web we weave.

The thought process that led me to wonder what the world would be like without women, and the inspiration for the photographic element of my work was the photograph series by Jeanette May titled “Easy on the Eyes”.

“Jeanette May is a photographer who juxtaposes text and photographs to simultaneously expand and complicate the meaning of her visual images. Her work often addresses the representation of women in fine art, mass-media, and popular culture. Ms. May received her MFA in Photography from CalArts and her BFA in Painting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has been awarded grants and fellowships from the NEA Regional Artists’ Projects Fund, Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and Ms. Foundation. Her work is exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including New York; Washington DC; Chicago; Los Angeles; Toronto, Canada; and Athens, Greece. She is a member of A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. May lives in Brooklyn.”[3]

The series depicts men in various scenarios; the man is the only subject present in the frame, but there are objects that hint at a woman being nearby.

Harriet

The absence of the woman was what made me wonder what men would do if women didn’t exist. I then thought about how many roles women play, and how greatly we contribute to society and human life. Women are sisters, friends, lovers, wives, mothers, professionals, caretakers, organizers, creators, givers of life, entertainers… the list goes on and on. Part of the beauty is that there are roles that are solely female: bearing children, giving birth, experiencing a depth and range of emotion and innate intuition that men are not programmed to have.

There are so many layers to consider, and that is where my third inspiration comes into play. Carolyn Epperly is a lowcountry artist. Her work examines light and its effect.[4] Several of her pieces show both a scene through a window and a reflection of what is going on outside. This multidimensionality reflects the multifaceted existence of women, which I attempted to show in my work. There are a multitude of layers in Epperly’s artwork; the intimacy of the subjects she creates while they remain separated my glass was very inspiring to me. She includes so much detail and devotes a good deal of time to each piece. Unfortunately, I felt that including such extensive amounts of detail into my piece would have been detrimental to the overall goal and detract from the simplicity of the sculpture.

Reflecting shopping

My artwork does not rival that of Zaha Hadid, Jeanette May, or Carolyn Epperly, but it was challenging and rewarding to shift my perspective and create art that is atypical of my usual work. It was nice to learn about other artists and view some of what the art world today has to offer.

[1] http://www.zaha-hadid.com/about. Accessed 2010-12-12.

[2]Meades, Jonathan. Zaha Hadid: The First Great Female Architect. Intelligent Life. Summer 2008. http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/zaha-hadid

[3] http://www.jeanettemay.com/Bio.html. Accessed 2010-12-12.

[4] http://www.lowcountryartists.com/www.lowcountryartists.com/Carolyn_Epperly.html#grid. Accessed 2010-12-12.

2010-12-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

This class has exposed me to the opportunity to be able to express my suppressed feminist oriented thinking through a process that I have always loved and and thought to be a part of me, art. The things that we have talked so openly about throughout the semester relating to female sexuality, equality among the sexes on all levels, pre-determined stigmas associated with certain sexes, and the way the media dictates who we as women are supposed to be, are topics that most feel uncomfortable addressing. Throughout the semester I have forced myself to be uncomfortable in order to grow as an artist and explore this way of channeling the new power I've found in being a woman onto the canvas.

The two works that I created for our show are intended to show both the beauty and expectations that come with being a woman and a mother. The first piece I created is a quilt, sewn by hand, which the act of creating was more of a performance piece to myself. The long hours of cutting and sewing and stuffing left me with nothing to do but think about the process I was undertaking and attempt to answer the questions that came to my mind: Who am I sewing this quilt for? I have quilts and blankets from when I was a baby that my grandmother and aunts made me, could I ever make one for my child? Am I going to ever have a child? Do I want to be a mother? Maybe not if I have to sew them all quilts. But in reality, even if I had ten children I would happily sew them all quilts if that's what they wanted because honestly, if I am never a mother I will not feel fulfilled. Although at this point you may be thinking, "well that's not very feminist of you", this class has taught me otherwise and maybe you should enroll in one. In the end, this quilt is meant to honor just a small bit of the sacrifices mothers make every day for their children without a thought because to them it is no sacrifice at all.

The second piece I produced was inspired by the first art book my mother ever handed to me, Georgia O'Keeffe. From age two I was fascinated by her beautiful flowers but it was not until high school that I became aware of her feminist intentions. This piece is intended to portray the beauty of fertility in an elegant yet quirky way.

windows & feminism

2010-12-11T08:39:00.001-08:00

This polaroid shows one of my projects for an Honors course I took this semester at College of Charleston. "Studio Art Approaches to Third-Wave Feminism," taught by Julie Jacobson, was a small class filled with about seventeen students (all of whom were young women with different majors and backgrounds). It was an enjoyable, organized chaos sort-of course that broadened my horizons in many ways; definitely one of my favorite classes in the history of my schooling.

Note: Along with this self-portrait window, I also showcased a book of my "favorite things." After much hesitation and proper planning, I performed a piece during the opening reception entitled "Fancy." As the name states, I performed the overly-stereotyped, yet typical, long and tedious process many women drag themselves through to get "fancy" to go out. I washed all of my makeup off of my face, changed into my bathrobe, spanx, and silk slip, and propped myself up on the bar table (usually used to sell tickets for our school plays...oops). I then began to shave my legs (during which my boss walked up and began his normal small-talk with me), put my hair up in rollers, lotioned up my entire body, etc. By the end of two hours, I was completely decked out: beautiful Calvin Klein dress, sparkly earrings (thanks, Laura!), damn awesome J.Crew Collection heels, my mother's (fake) fur coat, red lipstick, painted nails, coiled and curled hair--the works. Then, I packed my portable wardrobe into my bags, grabbed my mirror (brought off of my wall, all trinkets included), said my goodbyes, and made moves to my friend's apartment to prepare for our sorority's semi-formal. We won't talk about how that one ended.

Below is my artist statement for our final show, which was on Friday, December 3rd in our old Studio Arts building. The exhibition showcases works of each female artist in my class, each crafted with different medias and methods. It was a successful end to a great semester.

A statement about one's art is almost impossible to form or create with any real words on a physical piece of paper. How am I supposed to describe the abstraction that has magically transferred itself from my brain through my fingertips on to my work space of choice? It can be disheartening to force phrases onto the computer keys, to see each letter pop up in front of my eyes; however, this is the same manner in which art is to be formed.

I am fully aware that I am a crazy person. I might not be clinically diagnosed or given any pills for my problems, but everyone has his or her own ways of being just plain weird. As I type this (at work, mind you), I am listening to the same Bruno Mars song on repeat for what will probably be the twentieth time in a one hour time span. It is called "Marry You," and it is about marrying someone that you love for the hell of it regardless of the future consequences or anyone else's opinion. At this point in my life, I am experiencing an incredible amount of frustration and letdown with a lot of change coming at me like bullets. Even though it seems like the walls are caving in for no apparent reason, which then causes the flood gates to open and tears to constantly trickle down my cheeks, everything stills seems to continue the way it should. Simply listening to this ridiculous song about a spur-of-the-moment act makes me smile and shake my hips around regardless of my current location.

Let's get it out.
Artwork. My artwork. This window on the wall. These books on the table. They all have strange meaning that no one will really understand because essentially that is the purpose of art. It is a selfish thing that the artist creates to get everything from the inside on the outside for others to view and scrutinize and rip apart into small pieces just to suck the meaning of life out of it. I do not mass-produce my work to please others because, to be honest, I actually do it for myself. It is a release of energy to help my brain flow and organize all of my insane thoughts from my head into some sort of systematic plan. I'm not sure if any of these ideas are considered to be feminist or progressive or even proactive, but they make me feel proud and excited about the things I am doing with myself as I move into the old age of twenty in a month or so.

Life changes every day--mine took a serious 180 flip in a matter of three, so why not just do something that drives you from the core and makes you truly happy?

"...who cares, baby? I think I wanna marry you."
--Bruno Mars

South Carolina Artist: Kathleen Robbins

2010-12-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait with Apple Pie

It was her haunting films that first grabbed me. There’s something about old photographs that holds my attention, and so Kathleen Robbins’ work had a big influence on my instillation piece.

Still only an assistant professor at USC, she’s already head of the art studio’s photography program. Her blog provides a little insight about her work, but mainly is a source for photographs not published on her official website.

Though nowhere on her blog or official site does she call herself a feminist artist, I would argue that her domestic shots in particular, from series like "the hostess project" (like "Self Portrait with Apple Pie" at the top of this post) contain feminist themes. Still, as interesting as I find her domestic photographs, I was a lot more interested in her project, "a thousand beautiful things." It was shots like the one below, from that project, that inspired me to dig up my grandmother’s old photographs:

There’s something really haunting about her frames. I think it’s the blurred quality of the film and the different exposures – the faces aren’t really quite distinct enough to give the figures names, but they’re in focus enough to feel familiar.

The photos feel really old, and since I loved them so much, I decided to dig up my grandmother's photographs from home. My grandmother’s pictures aren’t quite so artistic, but there’s something really charming about them anyway. I could spend hours going through them. I don’t know if it’s the old clothes, or the quality of the film, or the contrast of the black and white photographs, but I knew I had to do something with them.

I love them all, but for our class specifically, this is definitely my favorite. Check out how these women are sitting:

These are my great grandmother/great aunts. Their dresses are so lady like, it’s really jarring when you notice their legs spread. It’s like they’re anchored to the ground. And they’re taking up space, instead of crossing their legs. It’s fantastic.

Polly's World

2010-12-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

Our art show "Sexpectation" was a huge success. My favorite part was just seeing how everyone's work came together and possessed this space. So I thought it would be appropriate to share my final piece and my thoughts behind it. Sorry the picture is such poor quality but all I had on hand before I had to take it down was my blackberry and the lighting happened to suck at the moment.

As an art history major, I am constantly reading and discussing art, but rarely am I the creator. I took a few classes in elementary and middle school, but there was not a focus on gaining technical skill. This made it a little difficult for me at the beginning of this feminist art class. I had visions and ideas of what I thought would look amazing but in reality I did not really have the skill set to create it. And it was even harder for me because I study masterpieces and great works of art everyday which gives me an awareness of what quality art is.

Luckily, I happened to be taking a contemporary art class as well and many of the conceptual aspects of contemporary art crossover into feminist art. It was almost like a double reinforcement that the ideas and intentions of the artist are just as important, sometimes more so than the final product. Learning about feminist artists and contemporary artists, I found that taking objects and repossessing them is a powerful way to convey meaning. Assemblages, readymades, and the use of found objects inspired my final piece.

This installation of polly pocket clothes was a way for me to explore growing up as a girl and the effects of outside influences. When I was younger, Barbies were my toy of choice and for my younger sister, polly pockets. These dolls represent the innocence of childhood but also of growing up in a society ruled by the mass media. There is this idea of everything being mass produced and fitting into one cookie cutter style.

This has been brought to my attention as I see my younger sister struggling. She is only in sixth grade, but some girls in her grade have been wearing bras and thongs for years, dieting, and spreading malicious gossip. I became very aware that some girls are losing their freedom of being a child too soon. By placing these colorful doll clothes on the wall, they look like the specimens you would see in an insect case. They are strange and oddly appealing.

Karen Ann Myers- Charleston, SC

2010-12-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

In searching for local feminine artists to include into my research paper, I came across Karen Ann Myers, who in my opinion, is one of Charleston’s best kept secrets. I have never heard of her work but as soon as I opened her online portfolio, I was taken aback. In a series of multiple paintings, Myers displays our society's obsession with hypersexuality with a specialization in large-scale self-portraiture. Myers claims that she paints in order to better understand her past, with her own experience, emotions, and moods as influence. Her paintings depict very detailed women, displaying themselves sexually with a hint of vulnerability that is masked by their seduction. Through these provocative paintings, she focuses on what it feels like to be a woman in our current society. The women depicted have a very dark and ominous interior while displaying themselves in ways that contemporary society would find appealing.

"Untitled (Checkered Floor)" 2010

http://karenannmyers.com/artwork/1642778_Untitled_Checkered_Floor.html

"U.S. of Ass" 2009

http://karenannmyers.com/artwork/998911_U_S_of_Ass.html

Over the course of her education, Myers earned her Bachelors degree in art education at Michigan State University and her masters degree in painting at Boston University. While studying at the University of London, Myers focused on women’s studies, which was the final piece to her personal puzzle as an artist. She moved to Charleston a few years ago and is now currently the executive director of Redux Art Studios and is an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston. She has exhibited her work in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and Boston.

"Untitled (Blue Bed)" 2010

http://karenannmyers.com/artwork/1642783_Untitled_Blue_Bed.html

"Untitled (Yellow Chair)" 2010

http://karenannmyers.com/artwork/1469868_Untitled_Yellow_Chair.html

Her psychologically intense portraiture speaks to me because the raw and natural beauty of these women, who are obviously suffering deeply from unknown conditions, is juxtaposed with their attempt to be thought of as desirable and glamorous by society.

"Pussy Cat" 2009

http://karenannmyers.com/zoom/984x588/998916.html

My favorite of her work is “Pussy Cat,” which was constructed in 2009 using Oil on Canvas. When I think of children in our society, this is the exact picture that comes to my mind. Children’s influence by the world around them is so incredibly important and the more that sex is used as a selling tool in our society, the more young children (girls especially) will feel the need to become hypersexualized in order to be successful and accepted. An example that comes into my mind immediately is the video on Youtube of young very talented 7 year old girl dancers dancing to “Single Ladies” by Beyonce Knowles wearing very, very, very little clothing during a dance competition. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYRIYL5uP6w)

This work influences my own because of its emotional depth. I focused on society's constraints on women and pressure for their beauty at the expense of their psychological health in my final project and I find her work to speak the same message.

2010-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Nature. Sexuality. The unnatural way nature has become more than simply its intended form, but a form of overt over-sexualization. The images and thoughts of sexuality deconstructed, put directly in front of the viewer in an agreeable yet disturbing form. Materializing the inner workings of the brain in a strictly sexual sense to reflect not only the thought of sexuality we keep suppressed but also how the media tells us we should view sexuality. To juxtapose the most pure form of nature, literally and figuratively, with the unnaturalness we have come to assign such things. These are the ideas I hope are reflected in my final piece. Visually, my final piece consists of a haphazardly woven tree made from wire and hemp string, supported by twisted roots. The trees branches shall be long and thin and each will hold a different type of visual representation at the end. However, there remains the consistent theme between them of the naturalness of sexuality versus the over-sexualization society now forces upon young girls. This theme is further tied together through the use of the tree as a central structure, with the sexual images serving as buds.

As a child who hit puberty before middle school, my process of growing up was significantly different than that of my peers. By mid fifth grade I had peaked out at 5’8” complete with breasts and curves that no other girl in our grade had. And it would be an understatement to say that others took notice. I would go to the mall with my mother and have high school students overtly hit on me in front of her. How is one supposed to deal with this at the age of 12? How is one to react when everyone is telling you how mature you look for your age? And thus began my process of extreme over-sexualization…a process which until my later years of high school I actively participated in, unbeknownst to its effects on my mental development. With the body of a young high schooler and the maturity of a 5th grader I was literally shoved into a world of sexuality I did not ask for. I had, in a sense, been so far removed from my classmates by this natural process that I clung to the unnaturalness of this transformation and blindly followed what other girls, older girls, did, said, and wore. Gathering upon these experiences and how I presume my early sexualization by society has affected my psyche, I hope to combine my vision of unnatural versus natural sexual images like buds on a tree, symbolizing my unnatural process of “blooming into adulthood” on the backdrop of something so pure as nature.

A desire to horde evolves into fascinating assemblages: An interview with artist Stina Köhnke

2010-11-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

Stina Köhnke studio views.

In class and on the blog, the complexity of being a female artist has been expressed numerous times. Are you a feminist artist just by being a female artist? Is it better to be subtly feminist or overt? As a newcomer to creating art, I thought it would help me understand the creative process better to interview another female artist and see if she also deals with the categorization of female artists.

Her name is Stina Köhnke. She was born in Carmel, CA, but now lives and works in Lyme, NH. She creates assemblages, sculpture, and installations.

The Parting, detail. 2010.

The Parting. 2010.

Jourdan DeVies: What is your artistic process? What are your inspirations and where do your ideas stem from?

Stina Köhnke: I have been collecting and arranging objects since I could walk. Until I was four, these items were about the initial discovery and the desire to horde. As I became more socially attuned to others, I began to focus on the relationships between the objects I collected. These arrangements evolved into physical constructions that explored unspoken nuances I observed as a child. My parents were critical of my verbal observations but indifferent to my assemblages. This act of sketching and portraying alternate realities has been a life long refuge for my imagination.

Chimera Group 1. 2002. Bronze and stuffed toys.

Chimera 5. 2002. Bronze and stuffed toys.

Chimera 1. 2002. Bronze and stuffed toys.

JD: The objects you use in your work, have you been collecting them for years? Do they have personal meaning?

SK: In general, I collect items that have a patina of age and are functionally ambiguous. Some items are personal and have moved with me for over 20 years. These items are not incorporated into sculptures but are reconfigured in the studio to help me sketch out ideas. More than half of my collection is merely material waiting to be choreographed.

Insomnia. 2009.

Insomnia, detail. 2009

Insomnia.

JD: Do you consider yourself a feminist? If so what does that mean to you?
SK: I attempt to create work that embraces ambivalence and resists categorization. I want my sculpture to give viewers the potential to infuse their own narrative.I am a by-product of feminism and am indebted to all the women artists who have forged our progress in the art world. I avoid the label ”feminist art”.

Spell. 2007. Fainting couch, wool felt, and tweezers.

JD: How do you think gender plays a role in your art and how your art is displayed?

SK: In the past, I have made work in response to social perspectives of women and how women’s identities are visually influenced from a young age. I now feel that focusing on inequalities is limiting. I would rather focus on making work. I hope that viewers will respond to the merit of the work rather than concentrate on the maker’s gender.

Animation. 2002-2007. Stuffed toys, aluminum, and chairs.

JD: Who are your favorite artists or artists that have influenced you?

SK: Many artists and sources influence me. Louise Bourgeois, Annette Messager, Kiki Smith, Robert Rauschenberg, Remedies Varo, and Ed Kienholz are some of the most influential. African art, Nature, taxidermy, and functional tool design are important sources.

For more images check out Stinas website http://www.stinakohnke.com/

Feminist Art By Accident

2010-11-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

Feminist art is not always, and does not need to be, created with the intent of being feminist. In just expressing what an artist feels compelled to express, a feminist piece can come to life. Woman constantly struggle with issues that could be categorized as feminist, but we don't always realize or acknowledge that some of the things that bother us most on a daily basis are feminist issues. The emotions and internal turmoil of the female artist find release through the creation of art, and logically, this art often reflects the feminist issues encapsulated by the day to day struggle of life in our society. Not only female artists find release by creating art, but feminist issues are more commonly expressed in the work of women than they are in the work of men.

A piece I created a few years ago could be considered feminist in content, but creating feminist art was not at all my intent at the time I made the painting. I was just expressing a scene from a novel I had read. The scene stuck in my mind because I could so easily relate to the feelings of the character in that scene. Gender specific feelings resonate better than more generalized feelings because they are relatable; the chance that women have shared a common fear or experience is greater than the chance that the experience is shared across gender boundaries. And by boundaries I could be referring to actually physical differences between males and females, or I could be referring to the metaphysical boundaries created by social conditions. Either way, certain things tend to stick with us for a reason. The novel was one I had not read recently; but the passage was one not easily forgotten.

Do you know what it feels like to be on a street that appears desolate, but you are unable to shake the feeling that you're not alone, and that maybe someone is following you? If you have, did you try to convince yourself you were being ridiculous and imagining things, and that there wasn't really anyone there? or did you trust your instincts? I think that women have a heightened sense of instinctual knowledge, but we almost always ignore it. Our gut feeling about something is often overridden by a rational or logical resolution or explanation; yet later on, if we can remember what our original instinct had been, we realize that it had been correct. When women create art, we are sometimes able to let the instinctual knowledge that we otherwise suppress manifest itself in our work. For me, the painting I made was a depiction of an emotion I had felt many times in a way that, hopefully, created a similar feeling in the viewer, regardless of gender. I wanted the feeling I had felt to be reflected in the viewer. I am unsure about the level of my success, but I am content enough if the piece evokes some sort of thought in the viewer.

I could have written something describing the feeling of absolute vulnerability and terror, but there are things words cannot portray. Art is one of the ways in which the things that cannot be described with words can be expressed to others, with the hope that they will experience something words would not have evoked. Feminist art provides a means of communicating the plight of women to everyone: all ages, all backgrounds, all walks of life; male, female, young, old, rich, poor, Chinese, Brazilian, American, etc.. Everyone.

The process of creating the piece above was challenging in certain ways. It was difficult to decide how to compose the piece so that it would be the most effective in relaying my message. Looking at the completed work, I realize I made some interesting decisions without even realizing I was making them. The lot next to the girl is empty from what can be seen in the piece, but the fact that there is a house on the corner suggests that there is a house in that lot as well. The height of the lamp posts to the girl are not proportionally accurate, but the difference in scale enhances the insignificance of the girl compared to her environment. There are other subtleties that add to the intended feeling of the piece as well, like the size of the painting (roughly 20"x 34"). But the thing I would like to emphasize is the fact that I created this without thinking through the whole thing in advance, but rather by going with what felt right. I created feminist art without even realizing it.

Georgia

2010-11-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

When I think of "Georgia," quite a few things come to mind. Of course, there is the state of Georgia--the place where peaches grow sweet and ripe in the hot sunshine; the beautiful and very well-known tune sung by the legendary Ray Charles (as well as many adaptations performed by later artists); but one of the first (and one of my favorites) that is recognized is the fantastic and powerful Georgia O'Keeffe, as seen above.

Miss O'Keeffe is not necessarily a feminist artist in terms relating to those of the various generation waves; however, she has impacted many female (and male) artists over time with great fervor. Her abstraction of flowers, bones, shells, and other natural objects emphasizes their simplicity while recognizing their obvious and underlying beauty at the same moment. O'Keeffe's images are magnificent with brilliant detail and vibrant colors that send a rush of emotions to the viewer regardless of his or her gender. Each piece seems to have hidden sexual meaning, which brings more intensity and lust to its background and purpose.

Other artists have recognized Miss O'Keeffe's personal strength and beauty through their own works, including Carri Skoczek, a feminist artist based in Brooklyn. Skoczek portrays O'Keeffe in her old age through a Linocut Edition (one of many exhibiting famous artists and other celebrities), in which she looks incredibly stunning with her defined wrinkles and wise eyes. Miss O'Keeffe is truly a classic beauty in her looks, ideas, and actions as she aimed to show the world new ways of seeing the simplest things.

"...just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind."
-Ray Charles

Aspiring Local Feminist Artist – MISS MIA J. ULMER

2010-11-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Most often, we find ourselves researching feminist artists, expecting to find a middle-aged woman with amazing art. However, we fail to realize that artists are all around us, and can be of any age. For example, Mia J. Ulmer, a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, is definitely a remarkable artist whom I am proud to call my own younger sibling. Only 17 years of age and still a student in high school at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, Mia has already created more than 30 reputable works. All of which have received honorable awards across the United States.

The summer of 2010, Mia Ulmer participated in the NAACP Act-SO Competition, held in Kansas City, Missouri. She also spent a month at Maryland Institute College of Art in a pre-college studio residency art program, where she learned magnificent oil painting techniques and created contemporary sculptures. Mia stated, “To me, art is more than just a hobby; art is a way of life.”

Intertwining Elegance, 2008

23in. by 19in.
Prismacolor Pencils

(Georgia O'Keffe’s flower inspired Mia’s personal drawing entitled Intertwining Elegance. She personalized her drawing by using a common technique -brightening the colors to add more intensity.)

Paradox, 2009
10in. by 14in.
Prismacolor Pencils

(Drawing in black & white - experimentation with contrast & value)
1st place in the 2D Division at the South Carolina State Fair

From an interview with Mia Ulmer, I learned the following about her matriculation into the art field:

“My parents realized that I had a passion for art at a young age. I was always marking on the walls of our house with crayons and markers, so they decided to put me in an art class so that I would find something constructive to do with my spare time. I continued to take art classes in elementary, middle, and high school. I realized that making art was a form of expression, creativity, letting go of yourself, and showing the world how you feel inside. Art is something that I have always been good at and I cannot imagine doing anything else for the remainder of my life.”

Self-Portrait, 2008

12in. by 16in.
Prismacolor Pencils

(Gold Key Award – Scholastics Art and Writing Competition held at Lander University)

Still Life, 2009
24in. by 36in.
Oil Paint

This is one of Mia's first paintings. She designed the entire composition. Lavender cloth was chosen for the background to represent tranquility. The glassware was arranged in a complex manner to incorporate line, balance, and contrast. The picture frame in the background added a sense of balance to the entire painting. The composition causes the viewer's eyes to travel back and forth from the frame to the cardboard circle placed in the background of the painting. The purpose of the black painted wall was to create emphasis and focus the view more on the still life.

“It was not until recently that I discovered that my favorite form of art was painting. While visiting my older sister, a junior at the College of Charleston, we decided to visit a few art galleries. Entering Peter O'Neill's gallery changed my life. I was touched by each of his paintings. Seeing his work led me to a new perspective. I felt as if using paint was a more efficient medium to express a message to the viewer. His brush movement, use of color, the way he was able to depict so much detail in his paintings, and the composition in general, mesmerized me. After leaving his gallery, my heart was set on becoming a painter. I wanted to be able to do everything he was capable of and more.”

Mia In Commons, 2009
15in. by 20in.
Prismacolor Pencils

To this day, Mia’s piece entitled Mia In Commons is held in the tunnel leading to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. due to her winning of the 6th Congressional District Art Competition for Congressman Jim Clyburn. This was her third drawing in the “Commons Area” series. The drawing represents her place of inspiration in a common confiding area located in her own high school.

Surprisingly, Mia has been a serious artist since the 5th grade. Ever since that particular point in her life, she knew that art was a profession that she was destined to pursue. She has worked with prismacolor pencils since the 6th grade.

Searching For That Which You Can’t Find, 2009
15in. by 20in.
Prismacolor Pencils
(The drawing shows a great sense of texture, line, and intensity.)

Animatedly Hurt, 2007
12in. by 16in.
Oil Pastels

“Attending these annual competitions is always something that I look forward to because it is a great way to interact with other great artist around the world. The Studio Residency Program lasted for an entire month. During this time, my core instructor was Michael Weiss. I drew from direct observation with ink, conte crayons, and vine charcoal at the Harbor and many other local landmarks. I practiced drawing and painting the figure with oil paint as well. We had new models each week. My workshop class was contemporary sculpture. In this class, I had the opportunity to turn the trash we collected from the garbage into different sculptures and creations.”

If Jesus was a girl do you think I'd still be your man?

2010-11-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Hey look! the CocoRosie post I promised! Wheelie!

Are those DILDOS on their HATS? Holy Banana!

I am 99% sure that the two sisters, Sierra and Bianca Casady, who comprise CocoRosie, are goddess-prophets sent by the great cosmic Big Mama Fairy for the salvation of all people and other living beans. They also have given me a serious case of the do-be-do-be-do-be complex. Beware of this. You start listening to their music and you're like "I dunno which one I want more, to be CocoRosie or to make sweet love to CocoRosie" (spesh Bianca in my case I mean look at her she wears rat hats and mustaches and has SOME KINDA MULLET/rat tail. too soon?)

Check out that sweet dreamcatcher tattoo (the sisters are part Native American)

also those zef fresh pants. (Don't know what zef is?)

How's about a little background: Bianca and Sierra grew up kind of all over the place in the western U.S. and never finished high school. They drifted apart as teenagers. Sierra, at some point, moved to Paris to study opera. Bianca did some modeling and who knows what else and then one miraculous day in 2003 showed up at Sierra's doorstep in Paris and the two were reunited. They spent a lot of time catching up, becoming attached at the hip, drinking champagne at dawn, getting into full costume and running laps and doing weird exercises. Then, they basically holed up in Sierra's apartment and recorded an album. Then, they got signed. Then they made three more awesome albums and here we are, November 2010. Lots of people love them, spesh in Europe. Lots of people think they sound like crazy witch-children or cats or something. Their vocal stylings are certainly unique--somewhat Joanna Newsom-y. Either way, their music is beautiful.

Rat Hat.

Bianca has had several solo shows of her visual work internationally as well. Recently she was featured at Art Basel. Her work is fantastical but not over-wrought. She employs a lot of native American tribal imagery and other cultural/religious symbols. She also uses a lot of rainbows. And mustaches. Like CocoRosie's music, Bianca's visual work has many elements of childhood within it. It's smudgy, small, bright, and symbolic rather than realistic. It's also often self-referencing. There's a lot of literal and metaphorical coloring outside of the lines that goes on in the Casady world. She also did some installation art in the show pictured below, which involved a lot of what I would describe as post-apocalyptic dollar store detritus.

Bianca on the funeral beach at her solo show at Deitch in NYC

called Lil girl Slim "Cosmic Willingness" Pipe Dreamz A Revelation

Here is a link to her artist statement.

Here is a link to a page where you can view the rest of the photos of the installation.

Here's a lil sample nugget. Yum.

This is the cover of their second album, designed by Bianca.

It won "Worst Album Cover of the Year" I think. Pretty awesome.

A more recent magazine spread of the two in some fuckin fresh drag.

Sierra (left) looks my Dad circa 1985.

A close study of the Casady sisters' character development could teach one quite a lot about how to create one's own characters. They are apparently unafraid of experimenting with costuming of very dissident and various qualities. One thing I really really like about them is how they continually present themselves in ways that are insistently not "conventionally attractive" (read: male gaze and femininity). Unlike the majority of women who are doing music they don't present themselves as polished products for male consumption and female emulation. They are, I would say, thoroughly queer and very creative in their aesthetics. Bianca often appears in full drag, and though Sierra appears more feminine because of her beauuutiful long long blue-black raven hair, she also genderbends voraciously. The sisters have recently taken to Victorian Gothic themes in their costumes as well. Nothing seems to be tabboo.

The album cover for their third album, The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn.

Check out the first track. Rainbowarriors. Critical listening encouraged.

So let's get into their politics. CocoRosie are not explicitly outspoken in the same way that, say, musicians from the Riot Grrrl movement are. They have what I would call a more aesthetic approach to things. The way they present themselves and their work stylistically is a response to the conditions of the world, and, I think, theoretically oriented towards themes such as dystopias, religious colonialism, gender, race/heritage, sexual abuse, consumerism, and war. If you do a closer reading of their song lyrics you will see a lot of complicated and explicit-yet-veiled references to and discussions of these topics and more. The way they criticize certain cultural attitudes in their lyrics is very honest and intimate, and sometimes sarcastic, as in the song "By Your Side" from their first album, La Maison de Mon Reve, Bianca sings:

"And for a diamond ring /I'll do these kinds of things /I'll scrub your floor /Never be a bore.../I'd wear your black eyes/Bake you apple pies".

The sisters sing about their own family on the third album, which is titled from a dream one of them had about their father and their brother. Check out the song Werewolf from that album. It's beautiful and poignant--somehow delicate while still being very earnest and almost harsh in its vocabulary (which their songs often are). I can't really explain how fucking gorgeous all of their work is. You gotta go youtube it up. Here are a few more of my favorite songs and videos. It's interesting to note that the comments sections on CocoRosie songs on youtube are almost always some knockdown drag out between people who HATE them and people who LOVE them. They're one of those bands where you either "get it" or you don't. But this is supposed to be about their politics...so anyways, my favorite of their political statements is this one song they do. It's a cover of Akon's "I Wanna Fuck You" and it's called "Summer Breeze".It's a re-do of the song told from the stripper's point of view, and it's possibly also actually autobiographical. Here's the hook:

"You see me trying to smile, up on this pole/ but I'm just hiding the pain that's deep in my soul/ you wanna fuck me, I already know/ you wanna fuck me and toss me back on the floor."

It's a big ol' "fuck you" to the proliferation of rap songs about sex workers. Here's the rest of the lyrics. A lot of CocoRosie's performances, musically, gender-wise, and aesthetically involve over-the-top reiteration and re-signification with the end of destabilizing traditional or popular ways of thinking about the topics they address and the aesthetic elements they employ. I think this is why many people are instantly put off by their aesthetic and by their music. It's somehow disturbing, and it's because they perform and utilize very familiar elements of our culture but instead of becoming a consolidation or reinforcement of dominant structures the performances subvert them, producing a somewhat unsettling effect, the sense that things are not quite in the 'right' place. The way they do it is still very successful though--for example, the Akon cover is extremely critical of the way that male rap musicians exploit women in their music and the way that men exploit women in 'real life', yet at the same time the song is so catchy, so enjoyable to listen to. They manage to completely co-opt the pleasure of the song while criticizing its content (VERY third wave). And Sierra, in the live performance I posted, is dancing around stage in a pretty sexy, feminine way but she's in full b-boy clothing. The effect of the visuals and the extremely compelling lyrics is pretty stunning in my opinion. It's like, I always liked that Akon song but every time I listened to it I'd be like "fuck you dude!" while at the same time really digging the actual music. They also have a cover of "Turn Me On" that's really good btw.

Speaking of "turn me on", here's a picture of Sierra and Bianca and some lucky-ass bastard. I mean just look at Bianca. I KNOW I'm talking about it a BIT much but JESUS SHE IS FINE.

Ok done, promise.

The sisters put out a single in 2008 called "God Has A Voice, She Speaks Through Me" which is also really amazing. This song, like most of their work, isn't as easy to read into as Summer Breeze, but if you just sort of soak in their lyrics and their vocal inflections and their interviews you eventually start to just get it. (I've been doing an obsessive amount of soaking obvs.)

The title of this post is from the bonus track of their newest album, Grey Oceans, and it's called St. Michael. Listen to it, it's sooooo good!

Ok almost done, BUT let's talk about critical reception. CocoRosie have made our European sister, brothers, and sasquatch-unicorns squeal with delight, but this fair country of ours is having a little trouble catching to the craze. CocoRosie gets the occasional scathing review, but more disturbing is that they are often just not reviewed at all, completely dismissed. My gut tells me that this is because of our tendency to 1.) dismiss female artists as 'irrelevant', 'weird', or 'lame', 2.) dismiss queer artists as 'weird', 'irrelevant', and 'not cool enough', 3.) NOT FUCKING RECOGNIZE WHEN PEOPLE ARE FUCKING GENIUS PROPHETS AND SHIT. Ahem. This is a lot of what we have been talking about in class. If you are an artist, you are likely to be penalized generally if you are a woman, if you are queer, etc. Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons (who also dated both of the sisters at the same time [they had some kinda triangle thing goin on]) also wrote an interesting little thing in conversation with this op-ed author about why he thinks CocoRosie has been glossed over.

Also, a side note: they don't shave their armpits, as evidenced by several photos readily accessible on google images. Fucking props. Must be cause they moved to Paris har har.

So anyways, that's CocoRosie. I highly encourage independent research, also listening to their songs while high or/and having sex or/and crying. As one of the people in the Op-ed says "Thank you so much for making art that is freaking me out."

Local Artist right here in CHARLESTON, SC – Dorothy Netherland

2010-11-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

Dorothy Netherland (1962) did not actually begin studying art until she was in her thirties. She is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, but received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. She currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina, creating primarily paints on glass.

Dorothy Netherland’s work technique includes painting, silk screening, and the transference of ink on the back of glass. Her common narrative incorporates images and ads found in the 1950s from women magazines. The images chosen include elegant women with “lipstick-red mouths”. The paintings are actually painted on two or three panes of glass on top of each other to provide a sense of conceptual depth. In a sense, each pane or layer of glass “carries part of the image” (Dorothy, 3).

Pristine, 2006
11" x 14"
Ink, acrylic, and screen-print on glass

In addition, there is an unintentional sense of irony that can be found in each one of her pieces. Netherland states that she is just playing on individual’s memories during this time period.

“Using these images of people posing to sell the idea of the perfect house, family, life, the false idea of attainable perfection… People populating my paintings come from an obvious past facilitates my intentions. They become part of someone’s personal, barely understood history,y” (Dorothy, 4).

What Red Eyes, 2007
24" x 18"
Ink, acrylic, and screen-print on glass

Her main goal in her pieces is to differentiate realistic women from the stereotypical memories.

“I am addressing domesticity and family drama and the expectations we have of motherhood. Our first relationships are with family. Family, especially our mother, shapes us. The paintings, including the predominance of women in them, try to reflect this and impart a sense of longing, hopefully. I also am humanizing the women in the images by subverting the original context, which presents a false, surface view of femininity” (Dorothy, 4).

The Chief of Belief, 2007
18" x 24"
Ink, acrylic, and screen-print on glass

Netherland uses memories as the main component in her work. The concept of painting on glass was derived from the memory of her grandfather paining on glass clocks. Besides the feminist and cultural meanings associated with her paintings, Netherland also contemplates whether or not the characters chosen are dead or nearly dead are still alive. She stated: “my cast of characters being from the past also reinforces the notion of our own impermanence and the brevity of existence. And it indicates the struggle to remember things and our subjective interpretation of past events” (Dorothy, 5).

The Pink Stuff Cures All, 2006
26" x 32"
Ink, acrylic, and screenprint on glass

I personally love how each image put together plays on the overall meaning of the work. Her technique of layering the glass is similar to a collage of 1950s magazine pictures. I can definitely find some inspiration from her work in terms of her feminist appeal and her art technique. Dorothy Netherland’s work was featured in the 2004 S.C. Triennial at the S.C. State Museum located in Columbia, South Carolina and in Charleston’s 2004 Piccolo Spoleto Festival Contemporary exhibition at Waterfront Park.

Archer, Barbara. "Dorothy Netherland." Barbara Archer Gallery. barbaraarcher.com, n.d. Web. 26 Nov 2010.

Roefs, Wim. "Essay: Dorothy Netherland." Dorothy Netherland Blog. if Art Gallery, 08/09/2008. Web. 26 Nov 2010. .

eat rice have faith in women

2010-11-22T15:56:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share this amazing poem by Fran Winant. Also, though, look at the post right below this one, it features a really amazing photographer. While you're at it just look at all the posts but anyways...eat rice have faith in women by Fran Winant...

eat rice have faith in women
what I don’t know now
I can still learn
if I am alone now
I will be with them later
if I am weak now
I can become strong
slowly slowly
if I learn I can teach others
if others learn first
I must believe
they will come back and teach me
they will not go away
to the country with their knowledge
and send me a letter sometime
we must study all our lives
women coming from women going to women
trying to do all we can with words
then trying to work with tools
or with our bodies
trying to stand the time it takes
reading books when there are no teachers
or they are too far away
teaching ourselves
imagining others struggling
I must believe we will be together
and build enough concern
so when I have to fight alone
there will be sisters who
would help if they knew
sisters who will come
to support me later

women demanding loyalty
each with our needs
our whole lives torn by
the old society
never given the love or work
or strength or safety or information
we could use
never helped by the institutions
that imprison us
so when we need medical care
we are butchered
when we need police
we are insulted ignored
when we need parents

we find robots
trained to keep us in our places
when we need work we are told
to become part of
the system that destroys us
when we need friends
other women tell us
I have to be selfish
you will have to forgive me
but there is only so much time
energy money concern
to go around
I have to think of myself
because who else will...
I have to save things for myself
because I am not sure you could save me
if our places were reversed
because I suspect
you won’t even be around
to save me when I need you
I am alone on the streets
at 5 in the morning
I am alone cooking my rice

I see you getting knowledge
and having friends I don’t have
I see you already stronger than me
and I don’t see you coming back
to help me
I imagine myself getting old
I imagine I will have to go away
when I am too old to fight my way
down the streets
my friends getting younger and younger
women my age hidden in corners
in the establishment
or curled up with a few friends
isolated at home
or in the madhouse
getting their last shot of
motivation to compete
or grinding out position papers
in the movement
like old commies
waiting to be swept away
by the revolution
or in a hospital
dying of complications
nurse or nun
lesbian in clean clothes
reach out a hand to me
scientists have found
touching is necessary
and the drive to speak our needs
is basic as breath
but there isn’t time
none of my needs has been met
and although I am often comfortable
this situation is painful

slowly we begin
giving back what was taken away
our right to the control of our bodies
knowledge of how to fight and build
food that nourishes
medicine that heals
songs that remind us of ourselves
and make us want to keep on with
what matters to us
lets come out again
joining women coming out
for the first time
knowing this love makes
a good difference in us
affirming a continuing life with women
we must be lovers doctors soldiers
artists mechanics farmers
all our lives
waves of women
trembling with love and anger

singing we must rage
kissing, turn and
break the old society
without becoming the names it praises
the minds it pays

eat rice have faith in women
what I don’t know now
I can still learn
slowly slowly
if I learn I can teach others
if others learn first
I must believe
they will come back and teach me

Corinne May Botz: Documenting Accumulation

2010-11-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Ever since photographer Corinne May Botzwas featured in the New York Times on November 3, I've been thinking about my stuff. All my STUFF. The stuff stuff stuffy stuff that I keep and collect and stash away. I don't even think of myself as a packrat, not at all. Actually, I have always been somewhat of a biannual purger, a spring and Christmas out-cleaner. But still there remains the stuff. The CrackerJack charms taped to my window, the cigar boxes full of letters, the Halloween candies, the not-yet-read books, the jewels and trinkets and scarves on my dresser, the printer, the papers, the coffee mugs full of pens, the heat-blowing hair tools, the dirty dishes, the laundry pile, the pile of shoes... And then there's the way that I arrange it and store it and allow it to occupy my space. Why this stuff? Why is it put there, set like like that?

Corrinne May Botz considers this idea but to the extreme of agoraphobia, or the fear of public spaces, and how it particularly effects women. She uses photography to document the living spaces of women who rarely leave them. Her Parameter photographs are considered portraits without faces, showing only possessions, no people.

Her artist statement examines agoraphobia in light of feminist theory: "This spatial conditioned emerged during the birth of the modern city and cannot be separated from the critique that modern space is produced for and by men. Known as the "housewives disease," it is estimated that 80-85% of agoraphobiacs are women. Ultimately it is the delicate relationship between space and self-- the fear of losing control of one's body and one's place in the world-- that forces individuals into hermetically sealed spaces."

In reference to Botz's work, the New York Times stated that "a feminist will tell you that an agoraphobic is internalizing social ills, meaning her terror contains both the idea of the home as a prison and the notion that public space is inhospitable to women."

This notion got me thinking not only about how I accumulate and manage my stuff, but also how this habit is particular to women. Pardon the sweeping generalization, but it seems to me that women are more likely to cling to things of sentimental value. Many men also live in clutter, but it's my impression that this clutter is related more to negligent housekeeping than attachment or nostalgia. Maybe I'm wrong, but when I think pack rat, I think of a somebody's grandma.

So the world is full of these packratty women, and I wonder how many of them are agoraphobiacs and don't even realize it. How common it seems for women to retract from society and stay home as they age. We don't think too much of it, but maybe it has a lot to do with them feeling displaced in society. Perhaps these women find more security in their own stuff, in their own home than they do in a public that is often driven by power, money, competition... masculine ideals.

I wish wish wish that there were more photographs in this series to flip through. For now though, I've got an idea to chew on. I think I will expand on this for my final project, pushing the question: Where is a woman's place? Meh. It needs some more time in the oven, but I think Botz's work is a good launching point.

Letting your creative juices flow

2010-11-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

As I have been searching for artists to use for inspiration for the last art project, I find myself discriminating among certain type of artists. After all, I have few set of art skills so when I come across a painting, drawing or sculpture that I know would be impossible for me to recreate or even to attempt, I go to another artist. What I have found is that I am attracted to artists who have unconventional methods because it doesn’t necessarily require tremendous skill, but more so of creativity. Creativity is something each one of us has always had from when we we’re very little, a lot of us may just not have used it in a while.

One artist whose work caught my eye is a regional artist, Leslie Kendall Rech. She received a Masters of Fine Art from the University of South Carolina in 1998 and is currently an Associate Professor of Art at South Carolina State University. She has created site-sensitive installations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Her work Memorial is an example of the lower art skill level required, but high creativity level which I was seeking.

http://www.southernartistry.org/work_samples/1752/work8849.jpg

This installation was created for the gallery in Berea College in Kentucky. She cut the leaves from tracing paper and hand painted web of veins. The leaves she created were not random, but based on the patterns of leaves she gathered around the campus. She arranged the leaves in a circle to represent an oak grove that once grew where the gallery is now. In addition, she plays an audio recording of leaves scraping along a hard surface. Her ultimate message is remembrance of things that are no longer with us and how fragile memory is, as in the paper leaves that are scattered.

I love this particular piece of hers not only because I see it as a feasible project for myself, but also because of its thoughtfulness. From the material to the shape and pattern of the leaves to how they are arranged and the audio in the background, the artist paid attention to every detail to get her message across.

So I don’t have amazing art skills. I do have creativity, which I consider as the ability to think a lot, often too much, and then suddenly coming up with a great idea you hadn’t thought of before. Art can be for anybody, even me.

Coming Out of the Closet

2010-11-11T06:48:00.001-08:00

I have been somewhat mentally weighed down of late due to a constant battle going on in my own head. A civil war of my conscience I guess you could say: To come out or not to come out. In our culture the term "coming out of the closet" refers to a gay person, who I guess has been pretending they were straight, "coming out" to everyone and admitting they are gay. This term has always bothered me because it implies that there are only two options.

1) To be stashed away in a closet, your true desires hidden from the world.

2) To be "Out" and open to ridicule, constantly having to justify yourself and your "decision".

Neither of these seem like decent options to me... The reason I have had this particular phrase on my mind is because I feel like it applies to me as a feminist artist.

1) I keep my feminist ideals to myself and try and get ahead by buying into the boys club.

2) I push my beliefs and ideas forward at the expense of being alienated and risking my career and aspirations.

As a female artist I am subject to certain discrimination's and limitations solely because I am a woman. This isn't purely speculation on my part, it is a fact that 48% of MFA holders are men(yes, more women have Masters degrees in the fine arts than men) yet 96% of gallery sales go to men. Does this have anything to do with the quality of a woman's work versus the quality of a man's work? Of course not, there are many female artists who submit there work to galleries under a mans name rather than their own and the curator isn't going to know the difference.

What is even more frustrating is that as a feminist artist I am doubly subject to discrimination in the art world. It has already started happening in my painting class here at the college. Since my teacher has found out I am a feminist she treats me differently than she treats the other female students(not to mention the male students) in the class. At the beginning of every class she brings in books of different artists to show us and the other day she grabs a book and says loud enough for the whole group to hear "here Taryn, you will like this one, she is a feminist". Not hey I think you would like this artist because her style is similar to yours or I think you could learn a lot from the techniques this artist uses. No, I get a hey she is a feminist and you are a feminist so must like her work. She finds some weird way to bring up my being a feminist every class period like it is something that needs to be explained or justified. When she critiques my work 9 times out of 10 it is critiqued in a different context than the other students, like I am "special".

What is going on in my art class is irritating but it doesn't really affect my life yet. I have a bad feeling about it, however. Like it is the beginning of a long series of unfortunate events who's ultimate goal is to put me in a box, or in this case a closet.

Why can't a person just be a person rather than a straight person or a gay person. Why cant I just be an artist rather than a female artist or a feminist artist? Why is my work extrinsically less valuable because I have a vagina and I am not content to play along with the role in society that vagina has assigned me? Why do I have to decide whether it is best for my career to stay in the feminist closet or to come out shouting like I want to?

BUSINESS CASUAL!!!!!

2010-11-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

This is your CocoRosie consolation prize picture.

Ok, let's be real here. That's always a good place to start. Truth be told, I was gonna write this blog post about CocoRosie, because I am in love to say the very least. BUT because of how much I am FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW OMG, that post will just have to wait for next time. Why am I FREAKING OUT? A series of compounded-interest type reasons:

1. I have a job interview tomorrow.

2. I have a gender identity crisis.

3. I have been running up and down King St shopping for the past 4.5 hours.

4. I have a huge zit on my chin.

5. I have a sore throat and I just started my period. Double fucking whammy.

Let me explain. So as my classmates may have noticed, I am not your average girly-type. I identify as genderqueer. I have, as of late, been feeling increasingly uncomfortable in feminine clothing, but I am in that stage of butchy progression where you have a lot of aversion to feminine clothing but not much un-feminine clothing to make yourself feel better about that.

Allow me to illustrate with an anecdote. I recently accompanied a ladyfriend to a wedding. There were lots of well-dressed, very excited, and very straight people there, all very lovely people (there, that was the only I-don't-hate-straight-people disclaimer you're getting, chew on it for a sec). There was one other lesbian couple at the wedding. One of these lovely lady-loving-ladies was talking about a recent trip to Thailand, where she purchased two tailor-made suits. She was, I must say, looking quite nice in a full on three piece suit. I looked at the suit. I looked down. I was wearing the same dress I wore to prom 4 and a half years ago. It's a pretty dress. But yeah. Prom. Not to mention I was feeling the crawly eyes of everyone who had noticed my unabashedly hairy legs poking out of the bottom of said prom dress. Ick. I spent the rest of the night feeling real uncomfy in the dress. It just didn't feel right, not at all the way it felt at prom way back when...

Look, I got you a cookie. A four years ago cookie.

Okay but I digress, fast forward to today. Come on back, into the moment. I AM FREAKING OUT, and you need to be freaking out too, because clearly, the world revolves around my small personal tragedies. So I have this job interview tomorrow for a "real" job in the "real" world and I have to wear some "real people who have jobs" clothes. If you know me, you're probably starting to understand the panic. My biggest fear is the big hairless well-groomed monster who comes in the night dressed in several pink button down shirts from Banana Republic and looms over my poor genderqueer self shouting "BUSINESS CASUAL!!!!!" and drooling large gobs of capitalist doom onto my cotton bedspread. If you see me wearing a blazer, either it's sarcastic or I'm tryin' real hard to holler at the ladies.

"Who me? Hollerin' at a lady? Why, you must have the wrong proper Scottish gentleman."

(NOTE CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS PICTURE

IN CASE IT DIDN'T ALREADY SMACK YOU IN THE EYEBALLS)

I talked to my Mom on the phone earlier today. Convo went something like this:

Me: I just don't know what to wear...

Mom: What about that cute red top you have from Anthropologie? That thing is so adorable.

Me: Okay yeah but with what? I have black jeans...

Mom: Don't wear any kind of jeans to a job interview. Don't you have any dress pants?

Me: Yeah but I don't have shoes to go with them. They're too short to wear heels with and they have a wide leg and I hate flats.

Mom: Yeah don't wear flats. Okay well what about...

Me: I could go get some boots and a skirt?

Mom: Don't you think that'll make you look like a total slut?

Me: No, but...I dunno I just thought that's what people wore.

Mom: Go buy some black dress pants and some pumps. And wear the red shirt. And a blazer.

Ok, thanks Mom. So twenty minutes later, armed with nothing but my chin zit and my dwindling pride, I hand about eighteen different pairs of dress pants and a few pencilly skirts to the lady in the dressing room at Banana Republic. She gives me my very own dressing room where I then proceed to DO BATTLE WITH THE DRESS PANTS. I have never been one to feel self-conscious about my body, but I found myself staring in the mirror lamenting how short I am (if I was tall I wouldn't have to wear stupid heels), lamenting how pencil skirts make me look like a small child who got stuck through a bolt of black pinstripe fabric. Dress pants make me look frumpy at best. My hair is all wrong. The zit. On the chin. Ugh. Oh my god where did my torso go. It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't so pasty. And so on, criticizing myself. I found a pair of pants that kind of looked okay on me and put them on hold. This began the long interview outfit hunt of 2010. I went up King St. I went down King St. I got desperate and went into places like Copper Penny Shooz. I met up with Savannah, who whole-heartedly joined in the hunt. Two butch-ish girls looking for girly interview clothes is like two middle aged Dads trying to shop for clothes for their 14 year old daughter for Christmas, while holding hands. Not fun. Also, I somehow ended up with a quite horrid pair of red patent leather platforms. Don't worry, I am returning them. Tomorrow.

See here's the problem. First of all, I have boy-hair. That means I'm gonna look funny in pretty much any girly outfit, especially one that involves heels. Not just look funny--feel funny. I feel straight up uncomfortable in women's clothing right now. It is weird and looks weird on me and I don't like it. BUT do you go to your job interview with a shirt and tie and your very favorite wing-tip oxfords on? Do you risk being written off because of your gender nonconformity? If I show up in an outfit I feel comfortable in, I will also instantly feel insecure and uncomfortable because of the way someone else might be experiencing my appearance. I feel like that's really fucked up. I should be able to dress in a way that feels right to me without being worried that any given person I might come in contact with will wrinkle their nose or treat me differently because I am wearing a tie or some weird big skater shoes. Fuck that. But if I go to the interview in butchy clothes and then don't get the job, there will always be that little voice in the back of my head (sounds kind of like my Mom's voice...) saying, "See, you should've worn the heels and the frilly shirt...tsk tsk." Blegh.

We all know this is how I really feel on the inside anyways.

Also, is Hannah playing air guitar?

And the thing is this isn't just about my interview tomorrow. It represents what is going on in my life on a much deeper level, which is becoming true to my gender identity and staying true to my gender identity because it's what I want to do. I don't want to be more feminine because I feel like my gender identity performance is going to make someone who can't handle it "uncomfortable". Fuck you. Seriously, fuck you. I don't expect people to conform to my gender identity, why do other people think they can expect me to conform to theirs? That's just silly. And fucking boring. I don't have time for that bullshit. I don't have time to wait around in clothes that don't fit me on the inside for everyone to get with the gender nonconformity picture. I still don't know what I'm gonna wear to my interview either, I tried on about 30 different possibilities in front of the mirror just now. And there's no happy ending of "I'm just gonna be true to myself and it'll all be okay. Puppies and rainbows and equality, yawl" No, because the reality of the situation is that me being genderqueer, especially in regards to clothing, is something that is gonna get me some funny-ass looks and wrinkled up noses and raised eyebrows and straight up gender discrimination and homophobia of many degrees for a really long time. I got both middle fingers waving already, trust you me. Hopefully the ladies at the interview tomorrow will be charmed by my boyish...charm. And clothes. We'll see.

Welp. Guess I best get to bed so at least I can be bright eyed and bushy-tailed. I think this last picture pretty much sums it up.

Subtle Feminism

2010-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Zoe Leonard was born in New York in 1961 to Polish refugees. She dropped out of school at the age of 15 when she began taking photographs. She made her debut in 1992 in the documenta IX exhibition. Zoe Leonard takes pictures of things that she sees and adds to their essence by putting them in

black and white. The photograph of the mirror to the left fascinates me and makes me think not only about the reflection in this mirror but also what reflection I see in my mirror. Zoe Leonard's pieces are thought provoking in more ways than one. She seems to bring to the forefront things that people do not normally think of on a daily basis. How you see yourself and how might othe

rs see you. Her artwork is particularly subtle in it's feminist presentation. When I first went through her artwork, I did not think she was a feminist artist. Som

e of her pieces did have a slight feminist tough to them, but she is not widely listed as feminist. Which make

s me think, couldn't any female artist be considered feminist? As women, we all tend to add feminine touches to everything. Women's handwriting is gen

erally more clean and curled. Decorating houses we add fluffy pillows, flowers, polka dots, and other feminine things. Although these are more feminine, feminist artists add their own touches. It is hard to be an artist and not create things that are part of oneself. Once I found this picture above, I realized that Zoe Leonard was at least slightly feminist in her approach to her art. The vagina seems to be the characteristic symbol or addition to feminist art collections. As powerful and

visually stimulating as it may be, I think it has become overrated and overused in feminist art. I respect Leonard's use of this image; however, I appreciate that, other than this photograph, she does not overly express her feminism. Zoe Leonard is also famous for her photographs of what she has called "Strange Fruit." She would take old, rotten pieces of fruit and sew them together, saying they were both "pathetic and beautiful." Because I am not Zoe Leonard, I do not think these photographs of the sewn rotten fruit are pathetic. They are fascinating in that artwork like this is not seen often. Very few artists use rotten pieces of fruit to express the way they think. The way I see it, sewing these old pieces together is like trying to bring back the past, reclaiming old experiences and reliving memories. This may seem pathetic to Zoe Leonard, but I agree more with the fact that it is beautiful. It is only human that we go back and want to relive things. No humans live without regret, which is what I think these photographs are all about.