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Artist Statement

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   My work integrates Victorian aesthetics, drawing inspiration from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1890 story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," and its portrayal of women's oppression during an era when they were confined to the domestic sphere. Although we are now free to venture beyond the four walls of our homes, other barriers, in the form of beauty standards and internalized expectations of femininity, control us and keep us in our place. In contrast to the idealization of bodies seen throughout art history and contemporary visual culture, my work addresses the high standards imposed on women that systemically perpetuate feelings of unworthiness. I advocate for more critical consideration of how we represent women’s bodies. Rather than glossing over the sources of women’s insecurities with words of encouragement to ‘love themselves’, my ceramic sculptures use distorted, fragmented, and abstracted feminine forms to illustrate the ways we restrict and contort our bodies to achieve impossible beauty ideals. Imagery referencing clothing, diet, cosmetics, weight loss and domestic decor prompts us to consider our ideas of beauty, their origins, and their effects.

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Bio

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     Corran Shrimpton is from Syracuse, NY and received her MFA from Georgia State University and her BFA from Alfred University. She has worked at a number of ceramic studios including The Saratoga Clay Arts Center in upstate NY, the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, FL and the Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, IL. Her work has been exhibited across the United States and is in the permanent collection of The Newcomb Museum of Art. She is the recipient of the Mass Cultural Council Grant for Creative Individuals, the Lisa Elwell Ceramic Artist Endowed Encouragement Award, ArtFields Merit Award, the Hambidge Residency and the Welch Fellowship at GSU. She is currently an instructor and Artist-In-Residence at Mudflat Studio in Somerville, MA.

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