Hi, my name is Lux, I am one of the interns at CAL this year! I wanted to write about Susan Taylor Glasgow’s exhibition, All Of My Favorite Things, which is currently on display in the South Gallery. Her work focuses on societal expectations placed on women, presenting them in her sewn glass sculptures.
I was drawn to her work by her unique use of glass to express her vision. In her artist statement, she calls her medium an “unforgiving material”, which I think perfectly describes the subject matter of her pieces. The unforgiving nature of brittle, solid glass collides with the soft, fluid sewn objects; imagery that defies the roles of feminine domesticity.
One piece I found interesting was ‘Eve’s Penance Corset’. Glasgow’s choice of placing the apple classically associated with Eve inside the heart of the piece references how deeply ingrained and how far back traditional gender roles go. The idea of clothing itself and modesty is heavily tied to Eve’s story. As the first biblical woman, she is tied to and very much reduced to the idea of sin. I think that Eve’s penance is reflected in today’s domestic treatment of women, subtly alluded to in Susan’s lace details of women doing household chores.
I also loved ‘Something Blue Brasserie’. Its title is a nod to the traditional wedding rhyme “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. The chains and lock draped on the corset create a statement on the pressures around chastity, of keeping yourself ‘pure’ until you find ‘the one’. The heart-shaped lock references a key to one's heart, and what unfolds after a wedding. These details shape the narratives surrounding a woman’s role in marriage, and the role marriage takes in a woman’s life.
The same flowers that are in ‘Something Blue Brasserie’ are also present in ‘Beauty First Shoe/Pillow’, reinforcing the imagery of marriage and love, or lack thereof. The shoe’s allusion to the story of Cinderella poses the question of whether one is truly loved for their character or their beauty.
Glasgow’s exhibition is truly a work of art. Her use of classical references and imagery associated with womanhood is combined beautifully with her detailed glasswork. She has created a really meaningful story through her work, and I think it is very much worth seeing in person.
