By Raegan Scharfetter/managing editor
Award-winning artist Erin Stafford will showcase her work in “The Withdrawing Room” exhibit Sept. 14-Oct. 12 in the Carillon Gallery.
Stafford’s aesthetic tendencies are shown in her studio practice as a result of her prosperous upbringing in Dallas where she discovered the irony and contradiction of the upper-middle class expectations.
This cultural refinement shaped her artistic identity, according to Stafford’s biography.
South Campus fine arts chair Joshua Goode said the exhibit is fully immersive and will alter viewers’ perceptions of art.
“She is creating a site-specific sculptural installation – she is painting images on the walls, hanging objects from the ceiling and placing items all over the gallery,” he said. “She is completely transforming the space into her vision and providing viewers with a unique all-encompassing experience.”
Stafford said she has always been drawn to the bygone era of social graces and ritualistic propriety, when women were treated delicately and the art of literature and ballroom dancing were of the utmost importance.
“I find comfort in the elegant manners that guided people through those social graces, often reveling in those romantic ideals,” she said. “My inspiration stems from my realization of modernity, that place of disconnect is where my artwork tends to lie.”
Stafford’s recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition entitled Wanderlust at Houston Art League with custom Viewmasters and another solo exhibition entitled Freedom From Want at the Caetani Cultural Centre in Vernon, British Columbia.
