This work began with a visit to the Barbeque Nation exhibition at the Atlanta History Museum, an exhibition that featured the deep roots of barbeque and its cultural significance in America, and, especially, within the deep south. Walking through the exhibition, I was struck by the “manly” aesthetic. From the bright, flashing neon signs to the bulky frying equipment, there was nothing about barbeque culture that reflected the domestic space that food historically inhabits. The drawings included within the Choice Cuts series were made in response to this inversion and call into question the evolution of domestic and non-domestic spaces in Western culture.
Donut Dollies, Ink on Hand-Cut Mylar, 69"x48", 2019
During World War II and the Vietnam War, women were encouraged to volunteer to travel to war zones through the Red Cross. They were to become waitresses, serving coffee and donuts from mobile service clubs to soldiers in an effort to improve morale and remind those fighting of home. These women, referred to as Donut Dollies, were held to much higher standards than the male soldiers, needing, among other things, a college-level education and outstanding reference letters. In Donut Dollies, I hybridize the tradition of the county fair and the story of the Donut Dolly, using the spectacle of the carnival to point to the irrational restrictions placed on the contributions of women.
Merrymaking, Ink on Hand-Cut Mylar, 42"x108", 2020
Named for the raucous Dutch toile patterns, the drawing titled Merrymaking adopts a traditional breakfast wedding table-scape to expose the rampant pardoning of sexual misconduct in American culture.
Hole | Pie, Ink on Hand-Cut Mylar, 48"x 104", 2020
Choice Cuts, investigates the social constructs of gender as they are informed by Western food traditions. The production, preparation and consumption of food is uniquely informed by identity. Through the examination of local cuisine, we can determine economic and social structures as well as the political leanings of a community. Looking beyond the nutritional aspects and traditions of regional recipes, Choice Cuts questions who prepares the food and who is at the table. Sherrie Inness defines “kitchen culture” as “the various discourses about food, cooking, and gender roles that stem from the kitchen but that pervade our society on many levels,”1. Phenomenon such as the gender coding of particular food items, colloquial terms like “breadwinner”, and targeted advertising solidify hierarchical power structures that relegate females to domestic spaces and males to industry. The drawings in this series examine how food traditions reinforce such conventional gender roles.
This work began with a visit to the Barbeque Nation exhibition at the Atlanta History Museum, an exhibition that featured the deep roots of barbeque and its cultural significance in America, and, especially, within the deep south. Walking through the exhibition, I was struck by the “manly” aesthetic. From the bright, flashing neon signs to the bulky frying equipment, there was nothing about barbeque culture that reflected the domestic space that food historically inhabits. The drawings included within the Choice Cuts series were made in response to this inversion and call into question the evolution of domestic and non-domestic spaces in Western culture.
The Choice Cut series includes 15 large scale ink drawings on hand-cut mylar. Most of the drawings are uniquely framed using two pieces of plexiglass between which the drawing is floated to allow for maximum shadow when lit. The largest drawings, like Merrymaking, are installed using a 6” post and magnet system, again to allow enough distance between the wall and the drawing for optimal shadows. I hope that the dense visual language and intricate, hand-cut patterns will provoke an initial response nostalgia and encourage viewers to investigate each drawing’s narrative more deeply. Upon further inspection, alternative narratives can be found hidden within the shadows that prompt viewers to reflect on their own complicity within our current gender constructs.
With the recent turbulence in America’s politics, this work is particularly timely as we enter in to the first year of a new administration. Meals have historically offered the unique opportunity for American’s from diverse socio-economic and political backgrounds to gather together and find commonality. As an artist referencing historical documents and images, participating in a cross-disciplinary exhibition hosted by the WVU Libraries would give this work new life as it is informed by other relevant areas of study within this subject.
Laura Tanner’s drawings and installations are often discussed as part of the Southern Gothic literary tradition. As a Georgia native, her work seeks to understand the ways in which advertisements, decor, and textiles are informed by social and political movements. Since receiving her MFA from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Tanner has exhibited nationally, including exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Art on Paper fair during Armory week in New York City. Her work can be viewed at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans or in the collection of the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC. Laura Tanner is the Producer and Co-Host of the podcast The Open Call. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Art at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she currently resides with her partner, Jim, and their two children, Tanner and Josie.