A photograph of a woman doing a headstand so you can see her red underpants. A sculpture by Robyn Horn titled “Approaching Collapse.” Those and other works that assistant professor of photography Margo Duvall says “celebrates the female voice in art” for Women’s History Month make up the exhibit “Nasty Woman,” opening March 1 in the gallery in the Russell Fine Arts Building.
The show features works by 32 women, both from Arkansas and around the nation, addressing contemporary women’s issues, from objectification of the female body to the political climate. The title, as all know, refers to Donald Trump’s aside during a debate with Hillary Clinton when he called her a “nasty woman,” a phrase that has since become a rallying cry for all who detest the descent into misogyny that our Republican-led country has brought about.
Contributing photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture and video pieces are Zina Al-Shukri, Heather Beckwith, Darcie Beeman-Black, Megan Berner, Cynthia Buob, Beverly Buys, Melissa Cowper-Smith, Norwood Creech, Nancy Dunaway, Margo Duvall, Melissa Gill, Mia Hall, Diane Harper, Tammy Harrington, Heidi Hogden, Robyn Horn, Erin House, Jeanie Hursley, Catherine Kim, Kimberly Kwee, Joli Livaudais, Angie Macri, Hannah May, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Catherine Nugent, Emily Rogers, Dina Santos, Kasten Searles, Katherine Strause, Brittany Wilder, Kat Wilson, and Miranda Young.
The show opens with a reception from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, with poetry readings, discussions of the work, and talks with the artists. The gallery, on the first floor of Russell, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.