| Inspiration for the MFA thesis exhibition, Surviving the Quarter Life Crisis, came while reading about the Quarter Life Crisis. These writings described the societal expectation for which any young woman should strive to become the perfect female and fulfill all of her expected roles. The exhibition's installations combined mixed media and ceramic artifacts with photographs of staged scenes. My experiences, blended with archetypes of the sexy pinup and perfect wife and mother, constructed a humorous and disturbing parody of this expected ideal. Combining Rococo style and techniques, with altered objects, found objects, and ceramic objects created a facade of perfection which masked the issues of the unattainable woman and the pressure, scrutiny, and inadequacy felt by young women to fulfill these roles. The embellished imagery in the exhibition confronted the societal expectation that a woman must endeavor to become society's ideal woman. |
