ARTIST STATEMENT
In this series, the domestic napkin serves as a canvas for the systemic invalidation of women. The names we are called—labels born of a male-focused desire for control and societal ranking—act as a form of erasure, stripping away identity and purpose to portray women as lesser humans. Throughout our lives, women navigate a constant transition of identities; we do not need the path further complicated by the weight of negative naming. By the final piece, the narrative shifts. This last napkin represents the reclamation of self—a woman taking definitive control of the words used to describe her, transforming a tool of domesticity into a manifesto of autonomy.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Maegan Kirschner is a contemporary American artist, curator, and gallery director known for her mixed-media works that explore social issues, ecofeminism, and the stages of motherhood. She manages her own art studio, AMK Studio, and is the founder of The Artist’s Circle, an online gallery. Kirschner’s art often uses organic shapes and vibrant colors to bridge societal gaps such as gender, race, and economic inequality. She works with various materials, including safety pins, nails, chicken wire, and fabric, to create depth and texture in her pieces. Her work has been featured in numerous art exhibits regionally and internationally.
Notable solo exhibitions include “Her Story” at Texas A&M University, “Her Endless Love Story” at R.G. Endress Gallery, and “The Abstract Circle Stories” at the Blue Gallery. Kirschner served as an intern for the Greater Denton Arts Council (GDAC) where she helped curate “The Forgotten 9” exhibit, which highlighted the work of influential, unsung women artists from the Texas Woman’s University (TWU) art department’s foundation. Kirschner graduated from Allen High School in 1993. She holds a Master of Studio Arts from Texas A&M University (2022) and a Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in American Studies and Art History from Missouri Southern State University (2011). She is married to Brandon Kirschner and lives in the Austin, Texas area.
© Maegan Kirschner