Artist statement

Genevieve Blanton

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Every morning we wake up and decide who we are going to present ourselves as, to the world. Then by stepping out into the world we take on all of the danger, restrictions, and responsibility the world has to offer. The clothes we wear become more than just fabric. They are our armor, our statements, and our camouflage.

This body of work uses garments to talk about the issues many face in society. The garments create a connection to the lived-in experience of those who wear them. Often when we use art to speak on social issues there becomes a disconnect between the gallery and real life. The garments act as a bridge between the gallery walls and the individual. By connecting these we can create context to the issues many people face when they go out into the world. The pieces in this collection, titled Conversations, revolve around issues of corrupt abortion laws, mishandling of sexual assault cases, and long-standing social norms suffocating an individual's freedom. Each of these problems require people to work together to incite the change needed to fix them. Therefore, by connecting these concepts to the individual, the garments can create change through understanding and empathy towards other’s experiences.

Many of the garments have a coordinating performance piece to give further context or a narrative to the pieces. In many of these performance pieces I, the performer, am creating a narrative based on my experience in the world. By becoming the vulnerable party in these performances, the performer shows others they are not alone in the struggles they've been through.