SMC art history major curates eating disorder exhibit
By NELLIE WILLIAMS
News Writer
Curating an art exhibit is usually an undertaking reserved for those with years of experience in the art world, such as museum directors. But Sarah Martin, a senior art history major at Saint Mary's, will face the challenge soon.
For her senior comprehensive, Martin planned art exhibition featuring 11 artists whose work deals with self-image and eating disorders. The show marks the first time at Saint Mary's a student has curated an art exhibit.
For most art history majors, a senior comprehensive involves a long research paper. However, senior Martin went another direction. For more than a year now, she has planned this exhibition.
To find artists and artwork, Martin first put a call in art magazines and on the Web looking for artists who deal with issues of negative body images, self-hatred and eating disorders. After receiving more than 150 proposals, she selected 50 artists. Martin then invited faculty, friends and family to help her look through the slides and give her feedback.
"It was a good thing to do it that way," she said. "From their suggestions I was able to narrow it down." And narrow it down she did. Martin chose 11 artists from across the nation; each uses a different medium to compliment her exhibit theme, "Chasing the Ideal: Women and Eating Disorders."
"I wanted to do something with women," said Martin. "When I first came to college, I didn't know anyone with eating disorders."
Unfortunately, eating disorders became something she had to face. Two of her earliest friends at Saint Mary's had eating disorders, and her best friend from high school developed an eating disorder in college.
"It kind of hit me hard when I got here," Martin said. "It left a big impression on me. It's been a big impact on a lot of us."
Some of the artists whose works will be on display are women recovering from eating disorders. Other artists were concerned with the issues in society. The works show causes, pressures and struggles of eating disorders.
"Ideally, I do hope this reaches some people. I hope it helps someone talk to someone else or reach out," said Martin.
Throughout the project, Martin has remained in contact with many of the artists, but not all of them realize this is her senior comprehensive. The ones that do were surprised that a college senior was handling a project this big.
"One woman asked if it was for my masters," said Martin.
"This involved an incredible amount of work, planning and organization, proposing the idea, developing a theme and advertising it," said Johnson Bowles, director of Moreau Galleries, where Martin will host her exhibition. "I'm very excited and very impressed by her levels of abilities, focus and her discipline," Bowles said.
Bowles, who has worked with Martin for the last four years, believes it took a lot of vision for Martin to compile the exhibition.
Throughout the past months, Martin was not only responsible for all the correspondence with the artists but also the planning and securing of the space the work was to go in.
She also wrote a catalog, her own curator's statement, and dealt with paperwork, shipping and insurance. She will give a lecture at the opening reception.
"I can't think of another place [a student] would have this opportunity," said Bowles. "This has been a focused career goal since she was an incoming freshman."
Martin has had a lot of preparation: working in the galleries, interning in Chicago and working in the Snite Museum at Notre Dame. Already, she is focusing on her next goal: to receive a master's degree in art history. Following graduation, Martin intends to work in a museum gallery as a director or curator.
"I don't want to do research for the rest of my life," Martin said. "I like being closer to the artwork than just writing a paper about it. I like to interact with the artist."
The exhibit will open on Friday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m. It will be on display until March 24. Martin has also created an exhibition Web site at www.saintmarys.edu/ ~mart5251/ChasingTheIdeal
All News Stories for Thursday, February 24, 2000
