Research becomes art exhibit
Art history class displays women's art from the Rennaissance period
By Erin Sanders, contributing writer
Posted on April 10, 2006

Students in art history professor Kay Arthur’s ARTH 449 class, a course that surveys early women artists throughout the Renaissance period, will assemble a show based on their research throughout the semester. It will be the newest  digital exhibit at Grace Street Center, and will focus primarily on historical pieces.

According to Arthur, the students selected a particular woman artist in history and wrote research papers about the female’s impact on the art world. The students then selected one piece of art to present in the exhibit.

Fifth-year senior Erin Nixon has been doing research on Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, an 18th century French painter. According to Nixon, Vigee-Lebrun thrived in portraiture and is famous primarily for her portraits of Marie Antoinette. Her portion of the exhibit will focus on mother/daughter relationships and how a switch in gender roles is displayed in Vigée-LeBrun’s art.

In preparation for the exhibit, each class member is writing a research paper on his or her chosen artist. Portions of their papers will accompany each selection in the show next week. The exhibit will be varied since the pieces were chosen based on personal interest and motive, not designated by Arthur. The historical artists chosen to be displayed at the exhibit were pulled from anywhere between the medieval and 19th century, incorporating a vast selection of artwork.

“The whole experience has given the students a wider horizon of women artists in the past,” Arthur said. “Planning the show also mimics real life as a museum curator, giving them skills for the future.”

The only thread linking the renaissance and modern works is the reflection of the “themes of the class, such as problems surrounding the study of women artists and breaking down the myth that there are no great female artists,” Nixon said. Each student has chosen a piece that will exhibit these characteristics, therefore contributing to the personal and unique aspect of the show.

The Women’s Art Exhibit opens Monday, April 17 at 7 p.m. at the Grace Street Center.