Description
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is a celebration and a reclamation of the feminine body. It serves to critique and satirize the ideological construct of beauty as it pertains to femininity, while visually communicating feelings of discomfort and dysmorphia in the body. Soft clay bulges through rigid structures but always breaks free. My use of the ceramic vessel acts as a metaphor for the human body and exists in the longstanding tradition of storytelling through hand-built ceramics. Mimicking the manner in which vessels are embellished with ornamentation, this piece is inspired by the things like bruises, stretch marks, scars, freckles, pimples, wrinkles, and hair that turn bodies into story telling vessels. This piece can act as visual embodiment of the subject of “Fat Girl Dances with a Stranger at a Block Party.” To me, she is proud but soft, and an undeniable force. The luminous body-vessel wear their stories on their skin; they are the brightest light in the underground.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I am an Artist and Teacher based in Asheville, NC. My current work as a teacher is specific to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, focusing on empowerment and inclusion in the arts. My artistic practice consists of sculptural ceramics inspired by the intersection of the feminine body, vessels, and cycles of growth and decay in the natural world. I hold a BFA in Ceramics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and have continued my education through various craft schools in the Appalachian area as both a student and as a teaching assistant. I am currently a Resident Artist at Mars Hill University and a Direct Support Professional/Teacher at Open Hearts Art Center.
© Erin Gleason