Opening Reception: First Friday Gallery Walk, August 7, 6-10pm

(Visual Art/Painting)
Location: Artspace, Lobby
 
In her exhibition entitled Dress Up, Kerri Eckes explores costume as a form of unspoken communication -- a dialogue between the wearer and the witness. Eckes notes that dress may be used in order to establish individuality, express a desire to conform, or to reveal an affiliation within a particular subculture, religion, or ethnic group. Clothing can also be used as part of a game of pretend -- an opportunity to masquerade as another individual or fictional character in an escape from daily life. Clothing is also an important part of ritual and ceremony. The importance of costume in society can be seen throughout history and across global boundaries. As a dialogue, it allows the wearer to announce his or her identity, whether actual or temporary. Witnesses, however, interpret this nonverbal communication in their own ways, bringing their own stereotypes and cultural belief symptoms into the discussion. The conversation between a wearer and a witness therefore not only reveals much about the wearer, but also about the witness.
 
Eckes completed her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts with concentrations in Painting, Drawing, and Photography from Mount Olive College in 1999, and earned an MFA in Painting from East Carolina University in 2005. She has exhibited drawings and paintings throughout eastern NC. She currently teaches at the Art Institute of Raleigh - Durham in Durham, NC, in addition to teaching youth arts classes at Artspace. Learn more about Eckes’ class offerings for this summer by visiting www.artspacenc.org/summer_arts.html.