"alterations" exhibition recap

Kentuck's Museum Gallery exhibition, "Alterations," is on display from October 3, 2024 through November 30, 2024. This fashion themed exhibition displays the work of Julie Carpenter, Sara Cox, Erika Mock, Trinity Nicholson, Lisa Norris, Aaliyah Taylor and Véronique Vanblaere. Each of these artists have taken their work and connected it to this year's theme in a truly unique way. This year's theme focuses on women artists who create innovative art with media that traditionally has been deemed, 'women's work' or features themes surrounding the lived experience of women.

This group of artists explores the idea of fashion in a variety of media from lace to metal. They explore the environmental, societal, and emotional impacts of the fashion industry.

Julie Carpenter earned her BFA degree with a concentration in sculpture in 2002 at the

University of Montevallo. She lives and creates in Birmingham, Alabama. Her ongoing artistic practice centers around the nuanced interplay between resilience and fragility. She manipulates the balance between hard metal and femininity in her sculptures of woman's most delicate fashion items. Her pieces are about "self protection and how society sees us."

Sara Cox is an accomplished fashion designer who's designs are made entirely from secondhand, repurposed, and deadstock materials. Her grandmother taught her to sew at the age of seven using only scraps and remnants. From that came her "desire to be innovative with the things I already had."

The work on display at Kentuck focuses on bridal gowns, notorious for the exclusiveness of their single-use nature. Cox's layered and flowery designs are sustainably created using 100% second-hand textiles from vintage linens.

Erika Mock is a Swiss born textile artist who uses recycled materials to sculpt zero waste art to wear. Erika’s work is inspired by nature and explores identity. Her one of a kind scarfs are colorful and playful. They are sculptural textiles that seem to tell a story and transform the wearer.

Trinity Nicholson is a 12th grader at Brookwood High School. She participated in Bib & Tucker’s Recycled Runway 2024. She says, “I would describe my garment as a whimsical take on a simple silk dress."

Lisa Norris is a mixed media artist working with paper, sewing instructions, paint and a large

collection of vintage materials. Norris received a BFA in Painting and Sculpture from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Her bold yet simple image are a mix of historical presence with modern finesse.

Aaliyah Taylor is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and is the Founder and Designer of Exalting in Beauty. She lives for bright colors and designs. The bold patterns and bright colors in her work "Taking up Space" represent a way for woman to take their power back from all the times they felt society told them to make themselves small. She says, "The goal behind every design is to lead every person to feel unique and beautifully different."

Véronique Vanblaere (Véro) “vérolutionizes” clothing. She constructs soft sculpture in the form of extravagant hats and luminaries which often become part of larger public and private art installations. Vero's work combines multiple elements and patterns to sculpt truly one of a kind wearable art. She is passionate about adopting a zero waste culture when it comes to the textile industry.

This exhibition is a part of Kentuck’s 2024 season, “Repurposed,” which lifts up women’s voices in art and community through visual art exhibitions, music, and a series of speakers and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kentuck's Gallery Shop is open Monday through Friday 9:00am-5:00pm and Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-4:00pm.

Please call Kentuck Art Center at 205-758-1257 or email mnelko@kentuck.org to inquire about purchasing any available works.

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