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$953 by Melissa R. Strom
"$953"
Created in 2023 by Melissa R. Strom
Acrylic, receipts, glue on found fabric on canvas
8 x 24 inches
This piece of artwork is made of a long, narrow, vertical canvas wrapped in plaid fabric that the artist found. It has a green, red, and tan plaid pattern on it. About three quarters of the way in from the left, there is a long seam that runs down from the top to the bottom of the canvas. It appears that the fabric was cut and shifted so that the plaid pattern no longer matches up with the fabric it meets at the seam.
On top of the fabric, pieces of torn-up receipts and checks have been glued, some of which still have the items and store names legible. Some wrap around the right edges of the canvas. On top of this, there is white acrylic paint that obscures some of the receipts, checks, and the pattern of the fabric. Letters have been stenciled out of the paint to read “58.8 cents per dollar” and “37% of men’s median income” running sideways down the left side of the canvas. Some of the plaid is clearly visible through the letters to the furthermost left.. The letters are easier to read in some places than in others, as they overlap diagonally under layers of paint.
Although difficult to read, after careful scrutiny, viewers will find statistics on the status of women’s income in the United States from the years 1950 and 1975. In 1950, women who worked full-time all year received 58.8 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 1975, women’s median income was $953, or 37% of men’s median income. Continuing to engage pattern shifts in her work, a bed of plaid is interrupted by layers of receipts for items such as food and other necessities, mailed bills, and checks that the artist collected over time from their own travels and encounters. She considers these items to be tokens from the so-called “real world.”
Welcome to the Real World will be on display at The Gallery at Steel Pixel Studios from May 15-July 7, 2023. There will be an artist reception on May 25 from 6:30-8pm and a closing reception on June 28 from 6:30-8pm. The Gallery at Steel Pixel Studios is located at 701 N New St. FL1, Bethlehem, PA 18018.
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By Steel Pixel Studios"$953"
Created in 2023 by Melissa R. Strom
Acrylic, receipts, glue on found fabric on canvas
8 x 24 inches
This piece of artwork is made of a long, narrow, vertical canvas wrapped in plaid fabric that the artist found. It has a green, red, and tan plaid pattern on it. About three quarters of the way in from the left, there is a long seam that runs down from the top to the bottom of the canvas. It appears that the fabric was cut and shifted so that the plaid pattern no longer matches up with the fabric it meets at the seam.
On top of the fabric, pieces of torn-up receipts and checks have been glued, some of which still have the items and store names legible. Some wrap around the right edges of the canvas. On top of this, there is white acrylic paint that obscures some of the receipts, checks, and the pattern of the fabric. Letters have been stenciled out of the paint to read “58.8 cents per dollar” and “37% of men’s median income” running sideways down the left side of the canvas. Some of the plaid is clearly visible through the letters to the furthermost left.. The letters are easier to read in some places than in others, as they overlap diagonally under layers of paint.
Although difficult to read, after careful scrutiny, viewers will find statistics on the status of women’s income in the United States from the years 1950 and 1975. In 1950, women who worked full-time all year received 58.8 cents for every dollar earned by men. In 1975, women’s median income was $953, or 37% of men’s median income. Continuing to engage pattern shifts in her work, a bed of plaid is interrupted by layers of receipts for items such as food and other necessities, mailed bills, and checks that the artist collected over time from their own travels and encounters. She considers these items to be tokens from the so-called “real world.”
Welcome to the Real World will be on display at The Gallery at Steel Pixel Studios from May 15-July 7, 2023. There will be an artist reception on May 25 from 6:30-8pm and a closing reception on June 28 from 6:30-8pm. The Gallery at Steel Pixel Studios is located at 701 N New St. FL1, Bethlehem, PA 18018.