WHAT WOMEN WEAR
A workshop

Recently I was invited to design a workshop for the Gender Studies Program at St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY. The first day of the workshop consisted of open discussion based around the viewing of copies of two photographs: one of a beautiful model wearing nothing but a body-painted "swimsuit" in a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED swimsuit issue; the second, a grainy black and white news photo taken covertly from a car window of Afghan widows begging on a street corner wrapped in their burqua veils from head to toe. 

Thus began the thoughtful exploration of WHAT WOMEN WEAR, a workshop which ultimately drew a roomful of women from different backgrounds, as well as a few brave young men, to question, condemn, praise and assimilate the many layers of a question which goes far deeper than GAP jeans and lipstick.

On the final day of the workshop, participants presented and discussed the visual components they'd created in response to the given theme. Pie-shaped sections of what would be joined to become larger shawl or fan-shaped wall-mounted pieces, were covered in everything from the contents of a purse to tantalizing text to a drawer full of never-used shoulder pads. 

They addressed the project historically, anecdotally, humorously, biographically and aesthetically. Results showed not only what women wear on the outside, but more importantly, what they wear on the inside.

 
Participants presenting their contributions to the 
WHAT WOMEN WEAR workshop.