This early thesis study involved the physical production of exhibition materials for the OPEN END NC State MGD Thesis Show at the NC State College of Design’s Fishmarket Gallery in downtown Raleigh. Here the shopping avatar takes shape, literally. Using tape, Anna is drawn on a gallery wall and adorned with take-away packets containing an introduction and information about gender identity issues in fashion shopping behaviors. Upon opening the take-away packet the participant encounters a guide for the rest of the shopping exhibition experience that includes information questions to prompt reflection at each stage of the exhibit. Part 1 / The Shop Window: Here the participant is asked to consider the visual consumption that takes place here and also the assumptions that are made about one's identity in relation to gender. By taking a piece of Anna's dress the participant is assuming a piece of Anna's identity and making it her own. Part 1 text from exhibit take-away: Are you more of a girly-girl, tomboy or somewhere in-between? How is this reflected in your clothing style choices? How does this classification affect which stores you choose to enter? How do you see femininity portrayed in those shop windows? Fashion distinctly asserts gender. Throughout history the female figure presented itself in particular ways. In contrast to men’s clothing (darker, monochromatic and angular) women’s clothing draws attention through color, accents and more elaborate styling accentuating the female figure. Femininity as opposed to femaleness is a state of mind as well as body and you embody this internal sense of femininity through your fashion. That process of fashioning the body in a particular way can be seen as identifying with a classification of femininity somewhere along the spectrum between “girly-girl” and “tomboy.” Part 2 / The Shop Floor: Here the participant is invited to explore through large hanging sheets of information where she is introduced to the problem of over consumption and asked to consider the life cycle and "death" of her fashion pieces. Part Two Text from exhibit take-away: How many pieces of fashion in your closet have only been worn once? How do you discard of your clothing? And where do you think it goes? When on a tight budget and setting out to explore your identity through fashion, you may find yourself attracted to quantity over quality stores such as Forever 21, Old Navy, Charlotte Russe and H&M. While these stores may help the budget, the use of lower quality materials in the production of fashions following ever-changing trends often promotes consumption for one time use. In turn this increases the amount of clothing and textiles that are being tossed into our landfills." Part 3 / The Dressing Room: This stage draws the participant beyond a curtain and into the more private and intimate space of the dressing room where she encounters three, faceless figures in varying stages of dress. She is asked to make assumptions about the identities of these three women based only on the layering of their fashion choices over a period of time. Part Three text from exhibit take-away: Where do you think these women place themselves on the spectrum of femininity? Do you play with your identity while in the dressing room? Does the dressing room give you a chance to try on different identities? The dressing room is a private space where you are in varying stages of dress and undress. You climb in and out of pieces of fashion, trying on expressions of identity. What if you stripped away clothing, eliminating all fashion cues of identity in class, ethnicity, values, personality, and associations? What happens when you pause in a state of undress to reflect on who you are perceived to be without those external cues? " Assessment: While I included a label, petitioning the participant to “take one” I found that many people, while curious as to what was beneath the paper pieces, were hesitant to interact with the seemingly carefully constructed dress. Once pieces of the dress began to be removed, participants were more willing to interact by taking a piece of their own. However, this made it difficult to keep the pieces “stocked.” Having all the information for the exhibit experience available up front proved to be counterproductive to the goal of interaction. Participants read all the components at the shop window stage and moved on without interacting with the other exhibition pieces at the shop floor and dressing room.

This is Lasdon Park, Mt. Kisco, NY taken at night with long exposure. The white dot to the left of the moon is Jupiter. This was accepted in the Westchester Land Trust 2010 Photo Show. 1/17/10 - The opening of the Photo Show was last night and though this didn't win, by the time I left night only 3 images were sold and this was one of those (none of the sold had won anything, but they were also in the $800-1000 range so that may be why). This is my first show and my first sale - it surprised me how excited I got when someone pointed out to me that it had sold - and to a complete stranger who didn't have to make me feel good! Yea Me! :)