COLLAGE ON VIEW
Vanessa Compton: Good Luck Country
at The Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming, USA
4-30 June 2020
Virtual Opening Reception via Zoom: Saturday, 13 June 7PM MDT. Click HERE to register.
Vanessa Compton presents collage work in “Good Luck Country” in the museum’s Northern Trust Gallery .
The artist says about the work:
Sourced images of cowboys, cacti, craggy rock formations, and other iterations of the western visual vernacular feature heavily in my mixed media collages. These oft-romanticized icons of Americana can reflect a darker side of our nation’s past and its reverberations into the present. Considering the ways in which my personal story is informed by a historical narrative of settler-colonialism, institutionalized racism and normalized toxic masculinity, my most recent collages address themes of social justice through the lenses of my own gender identity, whiteness, and implicit personal privilege.
Central to my current process is the overarching question: “Who gets to tell whose story?” An open-ended exploration of identity and authenticity, my latest work attempts to remind the viewer of the power of intentional imagery – particularly that of negative imagery – to influence perceptions of oneself and others. Reflecting on the ways in which I have benefitted from systems of oppression as a white, cis-gendered woman, I believe that addressing our blind spots, however uncomfortable, is a critical step in moving the needle towards social justice. I do believe that in accountability lies a possibility for positive change.
INFORMATION
The Brinton Museum
239 Brinton Road
Big Horn, Wyoming 82833 USA
(307) 672-3173
Hours:
Thursday-Monday, 10AM-4PM