Lil Picard

So I have been volunteering at the Black Box Theater at the Iowa Memorial Union this semester. The Black Box Theater is basically just a big space for people to set up an art exhibit every semester. Volunteering here consists of nothing more than me sitting around, making blog entries, working on papers, studying, reading, and occasionally telling a visitor to put their bag and coat on the rack and that they can't take pens in. I guess it forces me to sit down and be productive, which is always good, and getting volunteering hours in at an art exhibit type place is better than not doing so, even though ultimately, having a job doing the same thing would be ideal.

Anyway, the exhibit this semester is of Lil Picard.

You probably haven't heard of her because she is not really a big deal at all. Apparently at some point in time, all of her stuff got donated to the University of Iowa museums, which even further proves that she can't possibly be a big deal (although we do have that famous Jackson Pollock painting, which is neat, and a killer African art collection!). Lil was making art from the 40s to the 90s until she died in 1994. Much of her stuff is collaged, assemblaged, or painted and fits under the artistic movements of Dada and Feminism.

I am not wild about a lot of her stuff, but she did a lot of interesting murals and collages that I think are pretty cool.

Here is her Facade, 1957:

And her Three Figures in Space, 1959:


She was certainly one of those outgoing types that wanted to get in your face with her statements about life and politics and America and whatnot. I suppose many people were in her time. Here is some crazy poncho thing she made with articles all about feminism, beauty, appearance, and pop culture:


I just thought I would share since I have another 2 hours to sit in this room with creepy music and a painted baby statue hanging from the ceiling. Crazy Dadaists...