This piece was made in collaboration with the University of Michigan’s Curriculum Collection. My class also collaborated with a dance, and poetry class. My assignment was to choose an artwork from the collection, and design a wearable sculpture, that a performer would wear for their dance class, and a poet would write a piece about the performance.
I’d chosen Two Men With Big Pistols, 1960-1975, by Eddie Arning. I didn’t know much about this artist, or their work, but was inspired by the bright colors. I had done some research and found that Arning struggled with mental health, and violence. At the time, in my gender studies classes I had learned that 80% of violent crime is enacted by men in the united states. Learning about masculinity and how misogyny fails men, too, I focused on men and toxic, or “traditional,” masculinity as a weapon itself that harms men and our communities at large.
My piece itself is not “traditionally” masculine: it is pink, quilted, adorned with pearls, blue eyeshadow, and bows! The goal of this piece is for viewers to recognize that masculinity is not defined by colors, fashion, sexual orientation, etc., acknowledge the harm that this connection has done in our communities, and redefine traditionally masculine qualities in a way that is contemporary, diverse, and uplifting.
Adriana's Art Studio 