Entangled

On view in the New Bedford Art Museum December 2, 2016 through January 8, 2017.
This drawing was inspired by an article by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay. These authors of the New York Times bestseller, Womenomics, wrote, “The elusive nature of confidence has intrigued us ever since we started work on our 2009 book, Womenomics, which looked at the many positive changes unfolding for women. To our surprise, as we talked with women, dozens of them, all accomplished and credentialed, we kept bumping up against a dark spot that we couldn’t quite identify, a force clearly holding them back.”

What is the force that holds us back, I wondered? Is it a self-imposed lack of confidence or externally enforced expectations?

My sketch centers on a fairly realistic woman engulfed in an oversized raincoat, curled up into a fetal position, and immobilized by ropes. She seems to be hovering over a flatter and unreal surroundings because she is not entangled by real, tangible ropes. I don’t know if she is held in place by ropes of her own making, or by ones places on her by societal expectations. Her face exhibits very little emotion. She seems to be calm or at peace with her situation. Has she simply given up and accepted the ropes that hold her back? Or is she wearing the quiet and uncomplaining mask women often wear for protection in the world?

My hope is that the drawing adds to a conversation about contemporary women’s roles and about the sources of our inaction, whether born of internal fear or externally imposed expectations.