By Story and Photo by Sarah Hormanski on January 26, 2016 MCAD kicked off the spring 2016 semester with a bang by presenting four new exhibitions and a concert. The shows, Minnesota Mean: The Students Take Measure, Stepping Back, Looking Forward: Honoring Feminist Vision, Joint Custody: A Show by Curly Jefferson, and Borderlines bring up some good points related to controversial topics, and they might be some of the biggest hits of the academic year so far. Lisa Kill, Nathan Motzko, Bridget Krohlow, Mason Lytle, Take What You Need, Give What You Want Minnesota Mean: The Students Take Measure In this show MCAD students take measure, both as individuals and through collaborative projects, on issues including student debt, gun violence, the pharmaceutical industry, racial discrimination, and transgender issues, to name a few. “The unofficial state slogan 'Minnesota Nice' denotes how polite, reserved, and self-deprecating Minnesotans can be. But it also refers to a specific propensity for passive aggressiveness. Minnesota Mean, by contrast, eschews any pretense of niceness. Instead of avoiding confrontation and conflict, this exhibition is a platform for reflection and discontent, for raising hackles and voicing concerns.” –Minnesota Mean Interpretive Label Colleen Mclaren, Kelsey Vetter, and Marta Klopf, Shots Fired What do you think of Shots Fired? Attendee: “I really love bringing this gun issue to the forefront, and talking about it. I think for me being in a different generation, this is a whole new way of thinking about art and seeing that.” What brought you out to MCAD tonight? Attendee: “It’s my first time being to MCAD, and I would definitely come back. I go to other galleries and this was my first time here and I don’t know why. I think the Guerrilla Girls thing got me here.” Stepping Back, Looking Forward: Honoring Feminist Vision This invitational exhibition highlights recent work by feminist artists who were active in the Twin Cities in the 1970s and 1980s as well as younger artists who self-identify as “third-wave” feminists. Jill Waterhouse, The New Weapon of War #3 What inspired you to create this work? Jill Waterhouse: “Well I had been following what was happening with the wars in Afghanistan, and Syria, and name-any-country. And what I was noticing was that in previous wars women are always part of the pillaging of war. If a tribe takes over another tribe, or a town takes over another town, the women end up becoming part of the pillaging of the town, the rape of the women or the marring of the women, but now there's a new strategy where they are going to the wells because they know the women have to go there to get water. You know women are the ones that get the water, and when they come they get kidnapped and then get raped and sometimes they are raping them with objects that end up destroying their countenance. So when the women are then brought back to their town not only are they now impure, but they also have no way to be continent. They don't have the same kind of products that we do, they don’t have pads or Depends. So what ends up happening is that they just smell of urine and because of that they’re rejected by the community. They can’t ever get married, they can’t have children, and they usually end up dying. This piece is really is about this new tactic of using women to wage war.” Kate Renee, Dirty Laundry What in particular to you love about this piece? Attendee: “The bras are awesome.” What brought you here tonight? Attendee: “Guerrilla Girls, Grrrl Prty, art, and feminism collaborating together being represented. I think it's really great, it doesn't really get represented much and that's why I love the Guerrilla Girls.” Susan Ahlfs, Rachael Elam What is the inspiration behind this work? Susan Ahlfs: “Basically with these drawings, I wanted to promote beauty with all different sizes. Mainly my inspiration was my sister in one of my first drawings. I wanted to promote body, and self acceptance through people and also to raise her self esteem. I want to present these women who have insecurities about their bodies and to really have them see how beautiful they are through how I see them. I don’t get rid of any of their flaws in my drawings. If they have a stretch mark I’m gonna draw the stretch mark but draw it in my perspective.” Joint Custody: A Show by Curly Jefferson For this show Kayla Campbell and Katie Lupton, MCAD MFA graphic design students, collaborated on an anonymous fictional dual character who goes by the name of Curly Jefferson. As Curly Jefferson, the designers are able to show different personas and experiment with creating work in a looser manner than in their individual practices. The show is chock-full with elements of fun, color, style, and silliness. Curly Jefferson likes to play with "sensory overload and the invitation into a space. The viewer is left with part Uncanny Valley and part unaffected amusement.” Borderlines This exhibition features work from the photography and moving image MFA programs at the University of Minnesota and MCAD. The show’s title speaks to the separation between the competing programs, while also drawing upon concepts, subjects, methodologies, and visualizations found throughout the works made by each artist. As a group, the artists of this exhibition explore ideas about the environment, identity, domestic space, and the geopolitical landscape. Mandy Martinson, HOW WAS YOUR DAY? __ I say BRAVO! These shows blew the community’s minds and sparked a lot of good ideas and thoughts. Turns out sticking up for what you believe in does make a mark. Job well done students and all participating artists! Learn more about the GRRRL PRTY concert that followed this reception. Explore more about Graphic Design Illustration