What makes artists tick? And what about women’s art might be a recurring theme? As part of the International Women’s Month, the Ronald Williams Library hosted the sixth annual NEIU Women’s Artist Exhibit, which ran from March 2 – 13. Perusing the exhibit’s wealth and diversity of art definitely showed a common theme among the majority of pieces. In a word, it was nature.
Feminine forms and references to women’s history were seen here and there, but most works were either images or representations of the natural world. An unexpected but welcome theme, it was the dominant aspect of the exhibit if one took the time to look. The variety of approaches and techniques were impressive, from beautifully painted beach scenes to recycled tree stumps utilized as sculpture, as well as more iconic and recognizable images painted or woven onto stark backgrounds.
Maybe immersing themselves in nature is an unconscious way for these women to escape from the stress of the big city and their own hectic lives. When interviewed, they often had similar things to say.
Netiva Caftori, a professor of computer science at NEIU said, “I love being in nature. I spend all my free time in summer outdoors.” She had found a large piece of alabaster and carved into all sides of it many faces and forms, some feminine or masculine and some beastly. The sculpture was a wonderfully incomprehensible blur of figures and shapes, challenging one’s imagination to drift where it may.
Jean Potillo of administrative informationsystems works with fabric mosaics, painstakingly cutting and sewing cloth together into works with the emotional depth and sensory detail of an oil painting. When asked what her art was to her, she simply said, “complete and utter satisfaction.” On the subject of art being an escape or an outlet, she remarked, “An outlet for an overactive imagination, takes my focus from my job or my current stress and redirects it into a project that I can hundred percent control.”
Alice Brinkley reused old stumps she found because she wanted to pay respects to all of the trees destroyed in last year’s floods. “I see beauty in nature and now I’m in a sense trying to recreate it by using found objects of nature,” Brinkley said.
Jill Althage spoke of an inner world. “I like to describe the part of nature that looks one way, but on closer inspection opens you [to] another aspect. I like my pieces to invite one to look inside,” said Althage.
Many others said that their art was basically an outlet for their stress, to let their minds run free and be creative. Others saw it as a form of communication to the world at large. Christina Joe showed her untitled painting that featured a ghostly figure bound to the ground with string and bent over tree stumps, set in a barren and ethereal background.
“For me, creating art serves as a way to understand and communicate personal thoughts, memories, impressions, ideas and experiences that I don’t know how to put into words,” said Joe.
Theresa Walloga showed profound artistry in her own work. “The Girls” was a portrait of her own daughters; a fundamental statement of feminine emotion and camaraderie, although she admits leaving room for the viewer’s own interpretation. Another one of her oils was called “Gerhard’s Corner,” a salute to the artist Gerhard Richter. Visible on the canvas was a complex blending of the urban environment and natural forms, with a play of light within her brushstrokes softening the boundaries between tree and building.
The exhibit was a delightful success, and those who missed it will have next year’s to look forward to. As for this past display, an interesting debate comes into play. Is nature where the female mind wanders when the rationality and structure of their modern lives falls away? Or is this form of escape just a symptom of living in a big and stressful city? Either way, there was no solid evidence found in the women’s art on display, just some provocative food for thought.