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| Affirmative Action 1987 Artist: Jerry Kearns Material: Acrylic on Canvas |
While walking through the Palmer Museum of Art, I came across this image. It shows a woman dressed in a dress and heels with her hair done shoveling manure. She and the manure are painted in black and white while the background has buildings painted in red and yellow. It seems that the woman is in an elevated position because her head is above most of the buildings in the background. This was a big painting hanging on the wall of the museum and the size and color of the painting automatically caught my attention.
This image was made in response to the affirmative action issue involving women. I think that this image shows someone who is opposed to affirmative action because the way the woman is portrayed in this image. It sends a message that says that women are too “pretty” to work. It makes the woman look ridiculous because she does not look the part. This is very political and strongly takes a stance on the subject of whether woman should be given equally pay or not.
This image left me with a negative feeling. Though this was painted a while ago, this issue is still relevant today because double standards still exist. The image shows contrast; the “pretty” woman is standing in an area that is dirty and filthy. This makes the viewer wonder if a woman should take this role. I think that women should be treated equally with men. I will admit that there are some tasks that a man is generally more physically able to accomplish, however, if a woman is able to accomplish the task, there should be no reason why she should not be allowed to. Even if she is allowed to, she should be paid the same amount as men because she gets the job done.
Jerry Kearns is a credible artist because he won a Rome Prize for Sculpture ("oneartworld.com"). Since 1976, he worked as a cultural activist and he was also an artist with the Artist Meeting for Cultural Change also known as AMCC, among other groups ("oneartworld.com"). He also co-founded Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) ("oneartworld.com"). He has since then produced twenty-five one person exhibitions and his work can be found in thirty-three museums and public collections ("oneartworld.com"). This info shows that Kearns has a history in political art.
Naming this piece Affirmative Action shows that his claim is that women should not receive equal pay for doing the same work as men. If I was in the time that this piece was made I would possibly take the artist’s message into consideration. However, we are in an era where we have seen that it is possible, therefore, I do not agree with this claim.
I enjoyed the Palmer Museum of Art and would highly recommend it because the images are quite interesting and captivating. This was my first time visiting the museum and I had a great experience there. There were so many images that made me stop and take a closer look at the picture because they were so fascinating. I like the diversity of pieces that the museum has; they have pieces that would grab the attention of anyone. It is a sight to see and I definitely will be exploring the museum again
Source:
"Jerry Kearns." oneartworld.com. One Art World, 09 apr 2007. Web. 28 Feb 2012. <http://oneartworld.com/artists/J/Jerry Kearns.html>.
