{"id":6070,"date":"2016-06-21T18:39:17","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T18:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=6070"},"modified":"2016-06-21T18:46:48","modified_gmt":"2016-06-21T18:46:48","slug":"why-you-need-to-check-out-she-deconstructing-female-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/why-you-need-to-check-out-she-deconstructing-female-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need to Check Out “SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity”"},"content":{"rendered":"

A short Metro-North ride away from Manhattan resides a poignant exploration of gender and womanhood, nestled in a gallery in Westchester. In ArtsWestchester\u2019s \u201cSHE: Deconstructing Female Identity<\/a>\u201d exhibition, high-quality artwork by well-established artists explore what it means to be a woman in contemporary America.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The eleven exhibiting artists unabashedly and unapologetically speak to the reality of what it is like to be a woman in today\u2019s society. \u201cWomanhood\u201d is a definition that is difficult to articulate, and differs based on who is defining it: society, politicians, the workplace, magazines, culture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"24790158666_13686e0a66_o\"<\/a>
“Linda what questions should we ask now, and how should we answer them?” by Laurel Garcia Colvin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marcy B. Freedman<\/strong> looks to fashion, a language by\u00a0which we all speak, and one by which we (intentionally or otherwise) define ourselves and others. Laurel Garcia Colvin<\/strong> presents a play on the classic toile aesthetic by overlaying and superimposing influential female figures into her prints \u2013 from Amy Schumer and the Virginia Wolf to Guerrilla Girls <\/a>and Frieda Kahlo. Nancy Davidson<\/strong>\u2019s playful inflated sculptures occupy the center of the gallery, while exploring the iconic \u201cBlonde Bombshell\u201d sex symbol prototype. Valerie Piraino<\/strong>, born in Sub-Saharan Africa, references the exploitation and fetishization of black bodies. Debbie Han<\/strong> questions the concept of ideal beauty, observing that different cultures\u2019 perceptions of conventional and exotic beauty vary drastically. By combining these perceptions, Han creates an amalgamation of beauty ideals from across the globe and throughout history. \u00a0The full list of artists includes: Nicole Awai, Nancy Davidson, Laurel Garcia Colvin, Marcy B. Freedman, Debbie Han, Rebecca Mushtare, Mari Ogihara, Valerie Piraino,\u00a0Kathy Ruttenberg, Barbara Segal and Tricia Wright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Each explores a valid and robust perspective of womanhood, proving that a gender, or a person, is as nuanced as any other elusive concept that can\u2019t be nailed down to a single meaning. She and \u201cSHE\u201d are the whole of their sums. So, when it comes down to defining \u201cwomanhood,\u201d why does it have to mean only one thing? Why can\u2019t a woman be just about anything and everything she wishes? If that\u2019s the definition we teach future generations, \u201cshe\u201d will be okay after all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"25489827324_2e536c480b_k\"<\/a>
“SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity” in ArtsWestchester’s gallery in downtown White Plains (photo \/\/ Margaret Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

_______________________<\/p>\n

FINAL WEEK: \u201cSHE\u201d closes this Saturday,\u00a0June 25,<\/strong> with an artist talk and closing reception. \u00a0The event is part of ArtsWestchester\u2019s Arts & Craft Beer Fest<\/a> (which, yes, means that you can taste complimentary beer by local New York breweries while admiring the artwork).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ArtsWestchester<\/a> is located at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601.
\n<\/em>Gallery hours through June 25: Tues-Fri 12-5pm, Sat 12-6pm.<\/em><\/p>\n

Top photo \/\/ “Terms of Beauty VII” by Debbie Han\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A short Metro-North ride away from Manhattan resides a poignant exploration <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}