The College of Wooster Art Museum fall exhibition highlights midwestern women artists

The College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM) is displaying its fall exhibition, “Mirror Mirror,” Sept. 5 to Dec. 1 in the Sussel and Morgan Galleries of Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Avenue) with a curator talk on Sept. 22 and artist panels Sept. 23. This travelling exhibition was organized by Fowler Artistic LLC and the Springfield Museum of Art in Springfield, Ohio and curated by Christine Fowler Shearer. “Mirror Mirror” centers artwork by women who live and work in Ohio and the larger Midwest.

“Mirror Mirror” showcases the work of 14 women artists and focuses on issues of identity as women, artists, mothers, wives, daughters, and friends. The art in the exhibition draws on both personal experiences and larger social movements to allow audiences to consider issues facing women, such as reproductive justice, economic inequality, and the mental and physical load women carry to support families. The artwork challenges audiences to think about how women are portrayed in media and compare that to how these women artists portray themselves. 

“A language of icons and symbols communicate deeply personal mythologies that relate conflicting feelings about sexuality, domesticity, motherhood, and female strength and vulnerabilities,” explained Marianne Eileen Wardle, director and curator of the CWAM. “The intimate aspects of these artworks make them strong, relevant, and important today.” 

The curator’s talk will occur Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., followed by a dessert reception, and artist panels will be held Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both events will take place in the Ebert Art Center. Additional events relating to the exhibition will include a film showing and a conversation on political issues confronting women in the upcoming fall election.  

Funding for this exhibition was provided by the Muriel Koslow Art Exhibition Endowment, with exhibition design and installation by Doug McGlumphy, CWAM art preparator and collections manager, and program support and design for promotional materials by Tracy Mathys, administrative coordinator. The CWAM is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. For additional information, or to learn more about museum events, visit the CWAM website or call 330-263-2495.

Image: Kristen Cliffel, Corona Factotum, 2017. 16 x 20 x 20 inches. Image courtesy of the artist

Posted in News on September 13, 2023.