Taking the commercial aesthetic of advertising as a starting point, this exhibition explores a diverse set of responses to the relationship between women and commercialization.

Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Shana Wittenwyler's work in the exhibition, "Summer Straw," evokes experiences in her hometown of Monticello, Wisconsin. Due to vast economic need, younger generations are moving from her farming town to pursue professions outside of the labor-intensive agricultural field. Feeling a deep connection to the farming profession and the daily experiences of her father, Wittenwyler embarked on a project to document the rural way of life in her native community. Juxtaposing Antebellum Period dress with the sleek image of an SUV, Adrienne Tarver’s Get Out The Way No. 1, uses witty anachronism to challenge the authority of advertising. Tarver explains, “I infuse humor to shed a little light on the cycles perpetuated in American society. The glossy, bright colors and pinup style figures draw inspiration from the appeal of media, advertisements and general imagery we see daily. I want my work to reflect back on America like a fun-house mirror; exaggerating, distorting, glamorizing and documenting our stories.”

Other works in the show include Joanne Kaliontzis’ digital collages of 1950s and 60s print ads and Julianne Sombat’s knitted drafting letters—which contrast traditional “women’s work” with the male dominated graphic design field.

Juror Colette Gaiter is an associate professor of Visual Communications in the Art Department at the University of Delaware and a new media artist and graphic designer. She has exhibited her work at the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), SIGGRAPH, and in numerous galleries, museums and public institutions in the United States. Her essay on the work of Emory Douglas, artist for the Black Panther Party, is published in a new monograph and she is working on an interactive DVD about his work.

Woman Made Gallery invites you to experience diverse and intuitive responses by women artists to the theme of commercialization. Admission to Woman Made Gallery is free and open to the public. Opening reception: January 18 from 6 until 9 p.m. Works are up through February 21, 2008. -- www.womanmade.org