CLAIRE WOODCOCK
Special to The Leader
What exactly constitutes an outlawed body?
For weeks, students and faculty have been grappling to shed light on the different types of bodies that have been denounced by society. These efforts serve as the launching point of an interdisciplinary student exhibit, titled “Outlaw/ed Bodies,” in which students merged to create and showcase their visual, creative and critical interpretations of the bodies that have been socially rejected.
“I think the Outlaw/ed Bodies project as a whole is a really innovative way to look at that which is literally ignored — the disenfranchised, the outlawed body is the body that’s ignored,” said Pete Mason, senior English major and creative participant in the project.
The event is co-advised by Dr. Jeff Iovannone and assistant professors Rebecca Schwab and Sarah Gerkensmeyer of the English department. Together, they reached out to students from Art Forum, Writers Ring, the Women’s Student Union and beyond, looking for students willing to share their ideas and personal experiences. The faculty wanted to provide students with another opportunity to share their work with the public.
“We wanted to give students an opportunity to work across disciplines,” said Rebecca Schwab.
There are about 30 students involved in this project. Students have been working to intersect visual, creative and critical works to educate the community since February; students have been working in trios to create works that encapsulate their assigned body type.
“At the first meeting, we brainstormed and we had this huge list on a whiteboard of what types of bodies does society outlaw or consider outlawed. They came up with about 30 different examples,” said Schwab.
“Very few people fit into the conventions that are set in our society. There’s so many things that have standards, and if we’re talking about the one ideal, it’s like less than one percent of the population that fits into that. I think it’s really important to highlight that because people don’t think about it. People think about it, but not as much as they should, especially people with privilege,” said Sarah Cherry, a junior social work major involved with the event.
Some of the topics that will be examined are the pregnant body, the homeless body, the aged body, the addicted body, the transgendered body, the mourning body, the airbrushed body and more.
“The cool thing about it is that we have this sort of loose gathering of Outlaw/ed Bodies but they’re taking it so many different directions and they’re bringing in so many different components that it’s going to be a really dynamic gallery exhibit, so we’re really excited about it,” said Schwab.
The exhibit will showcase a variety of visual arts and mediums, and many of the participants are creating statements that draw from different foundational ideas about gender, sexuality and identity. The students involved have become well-engaged with cultivation of their work.
“We wanted students to be able to meet each other and to work together and create these really powerful statements in the society we all live in because we have to be active participants in this society,” said Schwab. “We can’t complain about it if we’re not willing to make statements about it and do something about it.
“So this is not only giving them a chance to share their viewpoints and their work, but it’s also educating the public who come in and see this display. So maybe someone who was harboring some prejudices about certain types of bodies will read this work and see this work and change their minds. That would be an amazing outcome of this whole thing,” said Schwab.
“It’s going to be so much information, like a big shock! And it’s going to be really overwhelming,” said Cherry.
The exhibit will launch on March 26 with an opening reception from 4-5 p.m. in Reed Library. There will be a catered reception, and a cellist from the School of Music will be performing improvisations on Bach to accompany the event. In addition, Dr. Bill Borner, Chief Diversity Officer, will be making a special guest appearance at the event to commemorate the student’s work. The exhibit is located at the bottom of the stairs at the front of the library and will be displayed until May 9.