New Art Exhibit in Connelly Center: “Women Collared for Work”

By Tania Jachens

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “collar”? Is it an object of practicality, control, decoration, or perhaps status?

In the latest art exhibit in Connelly Center, eight female artists put this term to the test as a metaphor for women’s issues through the ages.

Travelling time from the pre-Depression era up until today’s grown-up flower children, these artists celebrate the trails blazed by women in pursuit of equality, inspiration, and purpose, as well as the right to contribute and make a difference in society. Within these various issues and extremely diverse artistic interpretations, the “collar” is implemented as a symbol of female restriction, illumination, and ground-breaking invention, yielding the exhibit’s name of “Women Collared for Work.”

Throughout the gallery, the importance of inspiration becomes apparent in each piece of artwork. Ann Stein’s collections of carefully arranged artifacts celebrate Frances Perkins, the first woman appointed to a presidential Cabinet, who served as FDR’s Secretary of Labor and played an important role in forwarding the New Deal agenda. Deborah Stelling pays tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt and artist Georgia O’Keefe using 3-D photo boxes. Each frame is a visual interpretation of select quotes from these women, including Roosevelt’s thought-provoking and still relevant saying: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.”

Another fact which this exhibit skillfully emphasizes is that most of the women celebrated here were typically not accepted at first by society. Instead, they had to fight for credibility and respect and only now have gained the renown they deserved. Rosemary Lane’s cast paper wall reliefs literally leap out of their frames in representation of female artists that transcended “the art world’s barriers through their innovative and creative processes.”

However, the “collar” is most skillfully utilized in Judith Schwab’s pieces that include hatboxes, framed collages, and a suitcase. Using mixed media, Schwab provides intricately detailed and poetically constructed examples of art that you have to walk 360 degrees around in order to fully appreciate.

From the work collar worn by Rosie the Riveter to the jeweled collars of movie femme fatales to the collar of a baby’s bib, Schwab covers all the roles women have learned to play throughout history.

By dealing with memorable historic issues, such as women’s suffrage, Japanese internment, and female employment during World War II, alongside oft-forgotten everyday issues, such as family relations, growing up, and deciding what to wear, this exhibit strikes the right balance between history and heart. These female artists use bygone women as inspiration for their art and in the process pass along this inspiration to future generations of artists and audiences.

Having only mentioned a few of the artists featured, check out this exhibit in Connelly Center to see and experience more!

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Art Gallery. Judith Schwab, Rivets, acrylic and findings, 20” x 20”

Tania Jachens is a junior from Clifton, New Jersey. Majoring in English with a minor in History, Tania is a member of the Villanova Voices women’s choir and writes a column for the entertainment section of The Villanovan. Last semester, she fulfilled one of her life’s dreams by studying abroad in London. This semester, Tania is serving as an intern in the Office of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Tania plans to become a journalist for magazines or broadcast television.