The Beautiful Women Project
By raincoasterCarrying on from Glinda’s Teeny Poll: What causes art? In this case, it’s simple: a child’s desire for mutilation.
Do 13-year-olds really need to be saving their babysitting and paper route money for breast implants? Cheryl-Ann Webster wondered that herself, when her daughter told her that a friend was already socking away money for the boobflation job she felt would be an absolute necessity, sooner rather than later.
So Cheryl-Ann made a few synthetic boobs herself; she made The Beautiful Women Project.
To demonstrate that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes, she wanted to surround young girls with sculptures of real women’s bodies…
The Beautiful Women Project is a touring art exhibition of life-sized torsos of real women aged 19-91.
Aims:
* To challenge socially-constructed images of beauty
* To raise awareness and open a dialogue about the link between self-worth and physical appearance
* To be a teaching and healing tool
In the artist’s words: “Our bodies tell our life story. They are portraits of our journeys and experiences. Knowing that our body is beautiful just as it exists, is a message more people need to see and hear.”
April 1st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
If anybody near Hamilton, Ontario is interested in the project, you’re in luck — it’s currently on exhibit at the Hamilton Downtown Art Centre (until April 19th — so best hurry). You can find details at the web site:
http://bwp.websterwood.com/exhibitions/index.htm
April 4th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Are duplicates of any of these available to purchase? As weird as it sounds, my art collection is mostly of partial faces, bodies, and hands. (No, not the real thing…. no really!?!) An artist named Sean Connor, Mikael Chimeakin, and a few unknowns… I want at least one…..
April 4th, 2008 at 2:35 am
I’ve heard of Mikael Chimeakin.
There are no sale details on the site, but given that they are casts I’m relatively certain something could be arranged. Here are the artist’s contact details from the website:
Cheryl-Ann Webster
Beautiful Women Project
120 Oak Street,
Gananoque, Ontario
K7G 2R4
Canada
Tel: 613-382-5759
Cell: 613-220-8604
Email: cherylann at beautifulwomenproject dot com
April 4th, 2008 at 8:38 am
My understanding is that the sculptures used in the project are never going to be sold (although there is a “supporting sisters” program that allows one of the volunteers to sort-of own their own cast). Also, most of the volunteers allowed themselves to be cast with the understanding that it would be for a health-awareness display. Some might be seriously annoyed if Cheryl-Ann sold a cast of them to a private collector. Of course, for the most part, Cheryl-Ann can’t know who would be annoyed and who wouldn’t, so it’s probably safer for her not to sell casts made from the volunteers that she doesn’t know personally.
Having said all that, I know that Cheryl-Ann is quite willing to do new casts for sale. How ’bout a cast of yourself? Or of a friend who’s willing to act as a model? Cheryl-Ann can probably dig up a model herself if you’d prefer.
Right now Cheryl-Ann is heading to Hamilton for a few weeks of lectures and presentations organized in conjunction with the current exhibition, but I’ll make sure she sees this message.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Thanks so much Doug and Raincoaster!