Cassandra Buck

RECLAIMING MY FEMININE ARTISTIC VOICe

Emergence
by Cassandra Buck

Artist Statement

My personal art has always focused on two things: expression and the feminine. I am constantly striving to discover how color, shape, and line can evoke feelings and ideas that we are unable to articulate. I am reclaiming media that has been traditionally “Women’s Work” seen as craft and less important than fine art. That of which is male dominated. This series of pieces is a study of color, texture and form, and how they play with and or against each other through different manipulations of each material.

When I applied for my 1st Minnesota State Arts Board grant (I think it was 2012 if I remember correctly) The grant project was focused on a series of embroidered pieces and letters that my mentally ill mother had written to me throughout my life. My grant project was not approved which is not unusual.

It happens to all artists. We all get rejection letters, but there was one thing that still sticks with me about some of the critiques of the project.

After a panel reviews it the artist can listen to the reviewers discuss it. One male panel member commented that the project idea lacked because of the way I was doing the embroidery. It was too craft like. He also commented on how he knew of another male artist who did embroidery and that I should look into this artists execution of the media because it looked more professional.

I couldn’t put my finger on it then why this bothered me so much. As the years have passed and I have grown as an artist I have tried to fully understand what it means for me to be a woman artist. What I create and why. Why do I feel connected to the fiber arts? Why do I feel connected to painting?

The other day I stumbled on another fiber artists instagram page and saw this quote. This is why the male panelists comments made me so angry I just couldn’t articulate it.

“When a woman does it it’s craft, but when a man does it it’s Art.”