SXU Art Gallery presents Carrie Ann Schumacher's "Build Her a Myth"

Saint Xavier University’s (SXU) Art Gallery presents “Build Her a Myth” exhibit by Carrie Ann Schumacher from now until Saturday, Dec. 5 in the SXU Gallery on the Chicago Campus, 3700 West 103rd Street. Schumacher creates dresses from the pages of romance novels, and in doing so, examines the demands that feminine culture places upon women by utilizing the garment as a social signifier.

Schumacher, a multi-media artist and Chicago native, was born in 1986. She attended Elmhurst College and received her bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Digital Media in 2008. Schumacher also attended Northern Illinois University, where she received her master of Fine Arts degree in Painting in 2012. Currently, she serves on the faculty at College of DuPage, where she teaches Computer Art.

The following is a statement from the artist which reflects their artwork for this exhibit:

“Women often define themselves through clothing; we use our appearance to project ambitions, attract mates and signal our social status. Fashion magazines become the bible that guide the creation of self-image, and generation after generation of females have been programmed to buy into this culture of unrealistic beauty. Romance novels echo this sentiment, as they represent an impossible alternate reality, one where love and relationships are all-consuming and eternally passionate. Reality never touches either the fashion or romance realms, but the former is advertised as a way to obtain the latter. The dresses reflect this as they are seductively beautiful, but due to the material from which they are created, unable to be worn. Completely without function, it represents how useless the feminine myths we have created are in real life.”

SXU’s Art Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, please visit SXU’s website.