MSU art exhibition on female figures rated a 'must-see' by national college art group

A Springfield art exhibition co-curated by a Missouri State student has gained national recognition for challenging existing narratives centered around female bodies and artists.

The College Art Association of America's Committee on Women in the Arts features Missouri State University's "The Figure, Reclaimed" in its list of "must-see" exhibitions this summer.

"The Figure, Reclaimed" was co-curated by Missouri State visual studies graduate student Mara Cressey and Art and Design Department Director of Exhibitions Jodi McCoy. The exhibition opened in the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center on July 5 and will close on Aug. 4.

Seeking to celebrate and explore the female body through figurative painting, "The Figure, Reclaimed" features works by Aneka Ingold and Livia Xandersmith.

Established last summer, the Carolla's co-curatorial program allows Missouri State MFA students to submit exhibition propositions, which are reviewed by McCoy. If selected, the student works alongside McCoy to develop a concept, connect with artists and put the final touches on the gallery once the work is on display.

"Having this experience, I think, has been just really helpful and it's a way to stay involved with artists specifically, which is why it's really appealing to me," Cressey said. "You're researching artists, inviting artists to show (their work), so you're just constantly surrounded by works of art, which sounds like the best job in the world."

Cressey said she and McCoy were largely inspired by Katy Hassel's book, "The Story of Art Without Men," which explores the history of women's place in the art world. Until the mid-20th century, women were often discouraged or even not allowed to paint nude figures.

As a figure painter herself, Cressey said she often thinks about how the artist behind the canvas is affecting the perception of the viewer in front of it.

"Historically and still currently a lot, I see how women's bodies are used or leveraged in art. When people think of art, I think a lot of people think of a woman's body because when you walk into a museum, most of the nudes that you see there are women," Cressey said. "But then you also think about the identity of the people who are painting them, most of them, at least in museums, are not women."

Aneka Ingold and Livia Xandersmith

Ingold is an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa and the winner of the first Bennett Prize, the largest award dedicated to supporting female painters. Established in 2018, the Bennett Prize awards a total of $50,000 to one female painter to help them create work for a solo exhibition. Ingold was chosen as the inaugural recipient out of 647 entrants.

Working often with pencil and paint, Ingold's work combines realism with flat colors and patterns. Her large work, "Devil's Bread," which depicts a nude woman sitting beside a man's severed head, greets those who visit the exhibition at the Carolla.

Cressy said the decision to place the large nude painting at the front of the gallery was deliberate.

"One of our intentions for this show was for it to be as loud and kind of in your face as possible," Cressey said. "These two artists specifically they just have work that is very unapologetic in that way."

In her artist statement, Ingold expresses how she puts a piece of herself into all of her works.

"I document and invent women that I hope will teach me about what it means to be a woman," Ingold's artist statement reads. "I am completely liberated in revealing the pain and confusion of my own female experience. It becomes a ceremonious communion for me with all women who both suffer and strive to overcome adversity."

Xandersmith is a recent MFA graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she currently resides. Working in both 2D and 3D, Xandersmith creates surrealistic pieces that often blur the line between reality and fiction and past and present. Two of Xandersmith's pieces in "The Figure, Reclaimed" welcome participant interaction, "Comedy of Agency" and "Picture Day." The later encourages folks to take a seat on a blue, wooden stool and have their portrait taken in front of a large, surrealistic painting.

"My paintings each represent a tangle in my mind. Images, thoughts and memories collide on the canvas into a toxic soup of humanity," Xandersmith's artist statement reads. "I do not try to untangle them, because I know the tangles are a part of being human."

Cressey anticipates graduating with her MFA from Missouri State in May 2024. Following graduation, Cressey said she would like to explore working in a curatorial role again in a large or mid-sized city, while also making time for her personal work.

"The Figure, Reclaimed" is available for viewing at the Carolla at 326 N. Boonville Ave. Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Student-curated exhibition explores female bodies, artists