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March Issue 2009
MUSC in Charleston,
SC, Offers Works by Julie Klaper and Other Women Artists
The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, All Women Art Exhibit, as part of Women's History Month, on view at the Courtenay Street Art Gallery, MUSC Harper Student Center, from Mar. 1 - 31, 2009. Part of the exhibit will be the installation, Size Is Just a Number, by Charleston artist Julie Klaper.
Size Is Just a Number, has been displayed at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Indiana University. The work consists of eleven dresses, varying in size, each embroidered and appliquéd with information about how women perceive their bodies and the influences that drive those perceptions. Hang tags provide more details.
Klaper's own experiences shape and provide content for her work. This particular series was also influenced by her previous career as an advertising executive. One of the components of the exhibit is the influence of media on body imaging. Additional information came from her job as the advertising manager for a national women's retail chain.
Eating disorders have a higher fatality rate than any other psychological disorder. Over 40% of first through third grade girls want to be thinner. The average American woman has gained 20 pounds in the last forty years. Three-fourths of female TV stars are considered to be "medically underweight". Binge dieting, eating disorders and the growing trend to obesity cost this country billions of dollars in health care every year.
Klaper retired from a 30 year marketing career to work on her BFA which she received in 2004. Her work is influenced by contemporary women's concerns and she often uses art to resolve issues in her own life. She also is inspired by those that came before. She incorporates traditional female disciplines, such as knitting, embroidery and basket weaving in her work, combining the present with the past. She and her husband Marty recently moved here from Indianapolis, IN. In addition to her own art, the Klapers own a gallery at the Navy Yard at Noisette where they sell Visionary or Outsider art.
There will be a lecture for the MUSC student body which is part of the installation. It will be given on Mar. 19, 2009. An unusual feature of the lecture is that the dresses will be removed from the exhibit hall and will be modeled by MUSC students during the talk.
For further information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call Michael Desrosiers
at 843/792-5757 or e-mail to (desrosmg@musc.edu).
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