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Art display breaks women's stereotypes
By Natalie Asmus/Contributing Writer
Eighteen artists are contributing to breaking the stereotypes of women in a juried art exhibit titled "Breaking the Stereotypes: Women's Images" at Atwood Gallery through April 4.
At the reception Wednesday, the artists were able to explain their ideas and feelings about the pieces of artwork that were chosen to challenge the stereotypes of women.
"I consider myself an artist for social change and I would like to see different images of women available to the public," Krystee Decker a senior ceramics major said.
Decker is also completing an emphasis in painting. She has three pieces in the show titled "Blue Dress," "3 Purple Women" and "Standing Women."
"It's exciting to have my art displayed in the Atwood Gallery," Decker added.
Wisdom, rape, beauty, masturbation, mothers, wives and daughters all tied into the topic of breaking woman's stereotypes. Each topic was portrayed in an artistic way such as a painting, sculpture, photograph, clothing, and a collage of clocks. Each piece has a story that only the artist can tell, but all have one thing in common: the need to bring about social change.
Amy Ball, a junior at SCSU, stopped in to look at the artwork. This was her first visit to an art show on campus and found the subject of the artwork to be interesting.
"It's interesting to learn about other people's perspectives," Ball said.
Emily Mixdorf, a sophomore mass communications major, said, "My artwork represents every woman and what the media does to our own self image." Mixdorf also runs the "Sister Program" on KVSC, a radio program that specializes in the music of female musicians.
"What really interested in my taking part in this art exhibit was a Woman's Studies class I took here at SCSU," Mixdorf explained.
Jennie Heydt-Nelson, a senior ceramic and art education major at SCSU, was not sure if she would be able to submit anything for the exhibit. She found out about the show from a friend and was lucky enough to find something she had done a couple of years ago that would work for the exhibit, a sculpture that was hand built.
"My piece focuses on body image�the belly is round and she has hips," Heydt-Nelson said.
Of the 30 pieces of artwork that were submitted, 22 were chosen to be part of "Breaking the Stereotypes: Women's Images." The Visual Arts Committee and one person from the Women's Center chose the pieces that would be part of the show.
"Major was not important, but the impact of the image was," Janice Courtney Fitch, adviser for the University Programming Board Visual Arts Committee, said. "TV, magazines and movies women often portray women as a stereotype�their figure and skin color. This exhibit presents women as beautiful in all different forms."
The idea came about when the UPB Visual Arts Committee met to decide on the artist to go up in the Atwood Gallery for March. Since March is Women's History month, "it was going to be a woman artist," Courtney Fitch said. "Why not just one juried exhibit with many artists?" The members of the Visual Arts committee liked the idea and quickly got to work setting up the event.
A guest book for comments revealed that many believe that the exhibit is the best one this year. With that feedback, this exhibit may become a tradition.
"That way, people that are interested in submitting artwork for the show next year will have more time to work on something," Courtney Fitch said.
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