Date of Award
Spring 5-14-2016
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
My artistic practice deals with identifying and breaking down expectations that are placed on women in America; both in their personal and public lives. I have combined the ideologies of two previous feminist art movements: The Pattern and Design, and Deconstructivist movements. This creates a visual language that is unique to my time, while acknowledging the successes and contributions of the past. This thesis will analyze how my work draws elements from the past and expands upon those ideas to progress the feminist plight.
Language
English (en)
Program Director
Patricia Olynyk
Program Director's Department
Graduate School of Art
Committee Member
Heather Bennett
Committee Member
Heather Bennett
Committee Member
Richard Krueger
Committee Member
Andrea Stanislav
Recommended Citation
Brown, kendall L., "Fixing Broken Shit: How We are Always Cleaning Up Some Mess" (2016). Graduate School of Art Theses. ETD 55. https://doi.org/10.7936/K7QN652J.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/samfox_art_etds/55
Artist's Statement
My work deals with identifying and breaking down expectations, specifically pejorative feminine tropes in America. I select objects that represent larger social structures and use a method of deconstruction to destabilize and transform both the subject matter and the institution(s) that it represents. By problematizing the object, I call into question the arbitrary societal norms it represents. Dismantling the item encourages the audience to reexamine the larger existing social structures by metaphorically displaying the elements that composed these reductive ideas. I use my practice to address such issues that I find unsettling: gender inequality, objectification, and the trivialization of historically feminine practices.
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7QN652J