As the pandemic continues to evolve, staff at the Art Galleries at TCU have found a way to turn this new normal into art. CREATE + PROTECT: Fashioning Safety in Times of Pandemic (now open) is a socially-distanced exhibition that features original face mask creations from members of the TCU community.
“Using a mask as a personal accessory, or as an extension of your outfit, has become the new norm.” Brittany Murray’s If I Must Wear A Mask, 2020.
Conceived as a way to inspire creativity amongst a year of dramatic change, CREATE + PROTECT is a juried exhibition that includes pieces by students, faculty, staff, alumni and even a future Horned Frog. The exhibition represents the creative minds from programs across the TCU campus, including art, theatre, fashion merchandising, political science, nurse anesthesia and communications.
If I Must Wear A Mask, created by School of Art undergraduate student Brittany Murray, was selected as the best in show because it “exemplifies many of the questions posed around the current reality and cultural impact of mask wearing,” according to jurors.
“I made If I Must Wear a Mask in the first few weeks of quarantine out of some fabric that I designed and printed the year prior,” said Murray. “I have always loved fashion, but I was surprised how self-conscious I was when photographing the work in March, and I believe I was in fear of people thinking I was making light of the situation. However, using a mask as a personal accessory, or as an extension of your outfit, has become the new norm.”
Honorable mentions were awarded to Theatre TCU costume technician Sarah Tonemah (Not Your Mask-cot!), undergraduate art student Davion Mack (3020 FILTER BOX), and undergraduate fashion merchandising student Claudia Rodriguez (Tribe). Each artist had a unique reason for channeling their creativity into a mask creation.
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- “For me, the impact of the pandemic has collided with the current issues on race and ethnicity in our country. Both have brought about a time of self-reflection on my own racial identity. This mask is a symbol of who I am. I am proud of my Comanche colors (blue, red and yellow). And I have used some traditional materials, but I have also used contemporary methods to create the mask because the mask is like me. I exist in this world as both a woman proud of her culture and traditions but live and work in our contemporary colonized world.” Sarah Tonemah’s Not Your Mask-cot!, 2020.
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- “I just really loved the idea of being able to find ways to still be creative during a global pandemic,” said Mack. “It’s an extremely tough time for the world, mentally and economically, and this exhibition shows that inspiration can be found even in the darkest of times. [My inspiration is] time travel. When people look at my creations, I want them to feel like they’ve just stumbled upon something from the year 3020. I want them to feel like they’ve been pushed into another dimension. With my creations, I try to pull ideas from the future and bring them back to our current year.” Davion Mack’s 3020 FILTER BOX, 2020.
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- “What interested me in creating a face mask for the exhibition was to…enhance light during this pandemic. Ultimately, I participated because I want to feel part of the TCU community since I do not live on campus. The inspiration behind my face mask is to express my creative mindset and emotions through a mask despite the pandemic. I wanted to express that you can create beautiful pieces with just simple material. Each material plays an essential element and has value.” Claudia Rodriguez’s Tribe, 2020.
The exhibition is on display in the Mary Couts Burnett Library through Nov. 14 for the on-campus community this semester. Off-campus community members and the public are invited to view the exhibition via The Art Galleries at TCU Artsy page indefinitely.
CREATE + PROTECT was juried by The Art Galleries at TCU Director, Sara-Jayne Parsons; The Art Galleries at TCU Manager, Lynné Bowman Cravens; and TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library Specialist, Kerri Menchaca.
To learn more, visit The Art Galleries at TCU website.