Exhibit: “She Tells A Story”

Liza Carrasquillo | Contributing Editor

This summer, the Cameron Art Museum brought art from all over the country together with Wilmington writers to create a groundbreaking new exhibit, “She Tells a Story.” It is the museum’s first all-female exhibit as well as its first exhibit to use ekphrasis, which is writing that describes artwork.

“This is not an original idea,” said Holly Tripman, chief curator and co-organizer of the exhibit, “as it has been done to some degree in other museums. But this was a first for us—both focusing on all women from the collection and inviting area writers to create new literary work in response.”  Although ekphrasis is not new to the art world, it is new to the Cameron Art Museum, and proof that it pays off to try new things. 

Those literary works match effortlessly to the pieces they are inspired from, and give visitors a foothold with which to think about the artwork from a new point of view. The appreciation and enjoyment of art can sometimes feel out of reach for many, especially with the societal prejudices surrounding the artistic world. One must be “cultured,” or in the fine arts, to even begin to appreciate them.

While these notions can certainly help someone aspiring to understand art in depth, they are by no means the criteria for enjoying art, and the “She Tells a Story” exhibit helps to ease these preconceived notions by adding a point of view for the visitors to contemplate. The Cameron Art Museum’s use of ekphrasis is not only a great step for the museum, but also a gentle jumpstart for visitors to use while thinking about the artwork it represents.

“She Tells a Story” features the artwork of fifty-two female visual artists, including Laura Peery and Cathryn Griffin, as well as written responses to their work from Wilmington writers including UNC Wilmington professors May-lee Chai and Nina de Gramont.

The idea to focus on an all-female collection came from examining the Cameron Art Museum’s past exhibits, which, according to Tripman, “had been focused on all male artists for a while.” This lack of diversity is problematic, but the Cameron Art Museum’s response to that problem seems well received.

As author and UNCW professor May-lee Chai said, “Women artists have historically been excluded from museums and women’s art is underrepresented throughout history in our cultural institutions. This art exhibit at Cam shines a light on the amazing, diverse artworks that women have created and the stories that we tell through our art.”

Including the literary responses of female writers added another layer to the exhibit’s story, and gave the artwork, and therefore the artists, a stronger presence.

“She Tells a Story” will be displayed until Sept. 11, 2016 alongside “Patchwork North America: Paintings by Virginia Wright-Frierson.” Ticket prices are $8 for students, seniors, and active military members, and $10 for adults.