Face Value at Governors State University Gallery

 
If there is one word I could use to describe Becki Moffett-Moore's Face Value graduate show at Governors State University, it is "brilliant." Her work ranges from pieces inspired by clever witticisms and wordplay to much more serious and thought-provoking work. I am so glad that when I was dropping off Frozen Bride for the alumni show, Becki was just finishing up her installation. And she let me take pictures. (Click to see larger versions)

The definitions of each of these words are illustrated by the faces on the tiles.

This piece contains personal artifacts that are souvenirs of the artist's family history.

In this whimsical series, Becki makes use of her graphic design skills to create milk cartons that display photos of subjects whose faces are missing.

This piece uses an old box spring as its structure.

This extraordinary and time-intensive piece is a play on the expression "blockheads."  Each face was made from a cast, and the cast of characters are, with only one exception, friends and family of the artist.  It was definitely worth the time and effort put into its creation.

This character has literally been left outside in the cold and is screaming to be let back in.


Sadly, the show is only on view for a limited time and the gallery is not open on the weekend.  The last day to see it at Governors State is Monday the 30th from 5-7 p.m.

Visual Arts Gallery
Governors State University
1 University Parkway
University Park, IL

When Becki shows this series again, I will post about it again.  It really is a great show to experience in person.

The Saga Continues...

Before I start writing about the pictures I've just posted, I want to thank everyone who came to the Doll Project / You Are Beautiful show at Flourish Studios last night. It was one of the best attended (not quite) solo shows I've done in a while, and it really means a lot to me to know that there are people who are interested in seeing my work and hearing what I have to say. Your support has been the impetus to continue my work on this project, which is about 2/3 of the way complete at this point.

Here are two photos that weren't ready when I hung the others last week. I wanted to share them now. They are photos of Mia and the Anas in the present day. After showing how their predecessors were influenced by the media of their eras, I wanted to satirize the media that girls view today.

The book says "don't eat." How can Mia enjoy her S'mores now?

The exaggerated image on the television is a photo of some actual fashion dolls that were produced a few years ago.

Manufactured by MGA, the producers of Bratz dolls, the Hi Glamm girls are basically an updated version of the Leggy dolls Hasbro made from 1971 - 1973.  Freakishly proportioned with legs that go on for miles, these dolls are like a Photoshop disaster rendered in three dimensions.  (I have the three on the right, by the way.)  They are symbolic of the unrealistic standards of beauty so prevalent in ads today thanks to plastic surgery and Photoshop.

The next intrusion upon the innocence of little girlhood comes from an ad for a new show that will feature a celebrity who went "from webcam hottie to reality tv superstar."  Who needs talent, integrity, or intelligence when you can just make a spectacle of yourself for cameras, right?

 

Her near-nudity is in stark contrast to the princesses and ponies the girls were playing with.

I also did a whole photo shoot this morning of a character I ended up not using.  I thought of showing the girls watching music videos, but the pictures I took don't read well at the size of the Barbie TV screen.  But since I worked so hard, I'll let you see one of them.

And speaking of new photos, the new clothes I ordered for the doll project just arrived yesterday.  I will be using them in some new photos I've been planning to take.

I was inspired by the You Are Beautiful installation to create a final poster that will feature dolls in this shirt:

As I complete more pictures for this series, I will post them on my blog. Subscribe, follow, or "Like" my page to get the latest updates.

Saturday Solutions book review, Earth Day Edition

Tomorrow is Earth Day, a day that I first celebrated as a Girl Scout by watching the film of How The Lorax Was Lifted (the old school filmstrip version, not the hi-def CGI version in theaters now) and cleaning up the side of a road with the rest of my troop.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks of Earth Day as a day where you go out and do something to help the environment.  But for those of us who are artists, we can start in our studios.

I became interested in having a sustainable studio practice as a complement to Post-Consumerism.  And one day I found this wonderful book, Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist. From recipes for milk paint to plant based pigments, there are great ideas for using natural and ingredients to produce great art.  Because some of the ingredients are items you can pick up at your local grocery store (as opposed to the often pricey art supply stores so many of us frequent), you may find a green approach more economical as well.  

Pictured in the photo with the book are two of the buckets I use to wash my brushes in.  As many of you know, my painting medium of choice is nontoxic acrylic paint.  I wanted to take my environmentally friendly approach one step further.  Instead of pouring paint-contaminated water down the drain, I wash my brushes in buckets and when the water in them evaporates, paint skins are left behind.  I have been saving the skins for use in some pieces I am currently working on.  When they are complete I will post them on here.