Just a sneak-peek of what I'm working on...
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Proudly finished putting together my submission for Art St Louis' "Under The Influence"
My piece is "Louise Bourgeois Memorial Sweater"
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I am excited to be the Featured Member for March and new VP of the WCA-STL Chapter!
Reconciling Art and Mothering
I wrote a book chapter called, In Search of Mother, that is part of a larger anthology entitled Reconciling Art and Mothering edited by Rachel Epp Buller. This publication is available from Ashgate, so be sure to pick up your copy. It has been a fantastic learning experience and I am so grateful to be a part of it! My essay, In Search of Mother, is about the work I began in 2007 centered around mothering a fictional box baby named Karen.
Here is an excerpt:
"...The day I found her, I came across a long shipping box teetering off the side of a recycling bin. Instinctively, I responded by hurrying to prevent this box from falling to the ground. I found humor in this gesture almost immediately. Personifying my interaction with this non-living object was immediately associated in my mind with the natural reaction one might have to save an actual living baby from falling. I was aware of my strange interpretation, and it took hold as I wondered how I could further manifest this personification.
My own willingness to suspend disbelief and turn fantasy into reality, the same experience that I would later require of my audience, led me to begin at the beginning. I documented this birthing event in my video, making a baby...."
Here is an excerpt:
"...The day I found her, I came across a long shipping box teetering off the side of a recycling bin. Instinctively, I responded by hurrying to prevent this box from falling to the ground. I found humor in this gesture almost immediately. Personifying my interaction with this non-living object was immediately associated in my mind with the natural reaction one might have to save an actual living baby from falling. I was aware of my strange interpretation, and it took hold as I wondered how I could further manifest this personification.
My own willingness to suspend disbelief and turn fantasy into reality, the same experience that I would later require of my audience, led me to begin at the beginning. I documented this birthing event in my video, making a baby...."
Legacy
This is a piece I made for The Exquisite Uterus show about the "War on Women" opening in September at Artstar in WI. It has since traveled to the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago and the UW-Madison LGBT Campus Center.
“Legacy”, ~ 12” x 12”, Erika Swinson, St. Louis, MO, 2012. Reclaimed quilt square and pieces, commercially printed cotton, printed canvas, fleece, lace, ribbon, quilt binding, embroidery floss, cotton and polyester thread; reverse hand appliquéd, machine and hand pieced and quilted.
Whether considering the history of quilting, the continued struggle for women’s rights (in this case reproductive), or the genetics handed down that determine if you are born anatomically a girl or a boy; the notion of legacy is integral to this piece on many levels and thus is its title. To begin, I cut pieces from a reclaimed quilt that had holes and stains and sewed them onto each section of the anatomical uterus diagram. Next, I reverse appliquéd a square from the reclaimed quilt over the pieces I stitched to the diagram to add dimension and layering as in the body. I then added the fleece and lace border from a dress my daughter wore when she was an infant, thus further underlining the idea of legacy. The piece is finished with ribbon, binding and the squares I pieced together on the back.
“Legacy”, ~ 12” x 12”, Erika Swinson, St. Louis, MO, 2012. Reclaimed quilt square and pieces, commercially printed cotton, printed canvas, fleece, lace, ribbon, quilt binding, embroidery floss, cotton and polyester thread; reverse hand appliquéd, machine and hand pieced and quilted.
Whether considering the history of quilting, the continued struggle for women’s rights (in this case reproductive), or the genetics handed down that determine if you are born anatomically a girl or a boy; the notion of legacy is integral to this piece on many levels and thus is its title. To begin, I cut pieces from a reclaimed quilt that had holes and stains and sewed them onto each section of the anatomical uterus diagram. Next, I reverse appliquéd a square from the reclaimed quilt over the pieces I stitched to the diagram to add dimension and layering as in the body. I then added the fleece and lace border from a dress my daughter wore when she was an infant, thus further underlining the idea of legacy. The piece is finished with ribbon, binding and the squares I pieced together on the back.
Playing Peter
11 minutes 37 seconds, 2007
"During her remarkable video Playing Peter (2007), Erika Swinson documents the process of how quickly and easily the female body can be modified to appear masculine. All a girl needs is some duct tape...Sprinkle, Hammidi, and Swinson raise some important questions for this exhibition: Who gets to be recognized and acknowledged as a man?..." - Tanya Augsburg, pg 27, Introduction: Some Starting Points, Theories, and Themes, Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze catalogue.
We are looking for other spaces interested in hosting this exceptional exhibition. If you or you know someone that might be interested, please contact me.
Screenings -
We are looking for other spaces interested in hosting this exceptional exhibition. If you or you know someone that might be interested, please contact me.
Screenings -
- 2012. Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze. Kinsey Institute Gallery. Juror Tanya Augsburg. Catalogue. Bloomington, IN. I will also be a part of the panel discussion on Friday, April 13 at 4 pm with the opening following.
- 2011. Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze. SOMArts Main Gallery. Juror Tanya Augsburg. Catalogue. San Francisco, CA.
- 2009. Shown opening night of Bound as selected from the Voyeur International Collective. Melbourne, Australia.
- 2008. Voyeur International Video Collective Show. Melbourne, Australia.
- 2007. Raw Summer Lovin'. Zoller Gallery. University Park, PA.
Current News and Events
In Search of Mother, a chapter I wrote for the anthology Reconciling Art and Mothering, has been published
by Ashgate! Copies are available for half price at the reception at CAA this year (2013). Be sure and pick up your copy today!
Legacy went to Artstar in Wisconsin for viewing starting in September 2012. It was be shown at the exhibition "Power, Politics, and Performance: The Exquisite Uterus" running in conjunction with the annual Wisconsin Women's conference. The show was such a success that it is now traveling. If you missed the next stop at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago January - February 2013, you can see some of the show on pinterest. It is also headed to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and will be shown March 1 - 15 at the LGBT Campus Center there. Then off to another show in the Fall! This has been such a fantastic project to be a part of!
by Ashgate! Copies are available for half price at the reception at CAA this year (2013). Be sure and pick up your copy today!
Legacy went to Artstar in Wisconsin for viewing starting in September 2012. It was be shown at the exhibition "Power, Politics, and Performance: The Exquisite Uterus" running in conjunction with the annual Wisconsin Women's conference. The show was such a success that it is now traveling. If you missed the next stop at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago January - February 2013, you can see some of the show on pinterest. It is also headed to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and will be shown March 1 - 15 at the LGBT Campus Center there. Then off to another show in the Fall! This has been such a fantastic project to be a part of!
