Female Representation

When I was at the Maryland Live Casino at Arundel Mills, I couldn't help but be taken aback by their unique women's restroom sign (figure 1). This female figure appears more mature than the traditional figure we are used to seeing (figure 2). Figure 1 is slender, wearing what appears to be a business dress, and has hair.  Figure 2 looks like a little girl given the exaggerated dress shape and rounded head and limbs. It has me wondering what defines us as women? In previous eras, all women wore dresses--this is no longer a fact and most likely women who wear dresses or skirts every day are a minority. I was watching the fourth episode of Downtown Abbey the other day, and it ends with the youngest daughter donning pants much to the surprise of her family--it made me chuckle to think that women were not allowed to wear pants (don't get me started on side-saddle). Another symbol of women used to be their long hair (their crowning jewel, as my mom would say), but that is definitely not the case now. How do we define ourselves as women--through our womanly curves, our breasts? Many females have mastectomies, but that doesn't mean they are no longer women. So if not through our body shape, then what about our ability to give birth? (I don't expect anyone will rush to put that image on a restroom.) Oh, but wait, not all women are fertile.

So where does this leave us? How do we scale ourselves down to one image to represent an entire population? Alas, I argue that we are too complex to capture in a few line strokes and fill color.

PS: If you see Adam, tell him he can have his rib back.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Show & Tell: More Inspiration

In addition to the arts, I am inspired by people. There are several ways that people inspire me: through their actions, through their talents, and through the way they live their lives. Here is a list of people who inspire me:

• Ryna May: My partner. She is the most intelligent person I know; she inspires me to be the best possible version of myself.

• Sandra White: My mother. She sacrificed her life to take care of my youngest sister who was born with severe cerebral palsy, in addition to taking care of my me and my other three sisters and my dad, who had diabetes.

• Tara Hart: My friend and the subject of my article. Tara is my zen inspiration. She is very spiritual and reminds me to keep light in my life. She is also hands down the best card writer I've ever met.

• Samantha Walton: My younger sister. She is my best friend and the best mom I've ever met. She is a genuine soul who always puts other people before herself. I've never met anyone as selfless as she.

Dodge Poetry Festival

Have I mentioned how much I love the Geraldine Dodge Poetry Festival? In case you don't recall from another post, the Geraldine Dodge Poetry Festival is a biennial festival celebrates accomplished and emerging poets from all over the world and is recognized as the largest poetry event in North America. Some of the festival's major poets have included Derek Walcott, Billy Collins, Lucille Clifton, Sharon Olds, Robert Hass, and Charles Simic. I have only been to the festival twice and would have gone this year for a third time had I not been in Words & Images with all you lovely designers (sigh).

My partner Ryna May recently wrote a blog post for HoCoPoLitSo about the Festival--check it out:

The Dodge Poetry Festival Leaves One Asking, “More Bread, Please!”

Here are a few pictures from my first festival, the last one held in Waterloo NJ (pictured are Sharon Olds, Lucille Clifton, and Mark Doty):

Poetry and Typography Fall in Love

There is something magical when two arts collide--they might be shy at first, sneaking glances at each other, not sure if they belong together. Then one art inches closer and closer until she is touches the other art and---sparks! The most common art pairings are music and dance, but other pairings are hitting the scene. One in particular I've seen a lot of lately is poetry and painting. In Columbia, the Artist's Gallery hosts a Poets and Painters exhibit where they invite poets to submit a complimentary poem and then show them together. This exhibit is young but widely popular and will celebrate its third year in March. I hope you'll check it out!

Another pairing is poetry and typography. Taylor Mali is a nationally acclaimed spoken word poet and the host of Page Meets Stage, a poetry showcase which pairs slam poets with traditional poets.  Mali taught junior high students for many years, and his experiences as a teacher inform many of his poems, such as "What Teachers Make" and "Like Lily, Like Wilson." Ronnie Bruce, a film student at Temple University, put type to Mali's voice. Powerful stuff.



Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.