Shadows and Silence

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Artist: Nancy Monson

Title: Shadows and Silence

Attribution: Shadows and Silence, 2016, Nancy Monson

Year: 2016

Materials: Wet-felted merino wool, hemp thread, yarn

Dimensions: 50" X 90"

Image Statement: Throughout time, women have been told to stay in their place and follow a certain path. Muffle their opinions, stifle their thoughts. In many instances, I have sought to conform in this way, having experienced misogynism both personally and professionally. Sometimes I have stifled myself in order to move ahead and be taken seriously. There is still a double standard: Women who are perceived in the business world as aggressive—when they’re really just being assertive—are often perceived as bitches. In order not to be attacked, by men and women alike, I have often silenced myself. This installation of felted wool is a contemplation of being silenced and standing in the shadows. The textures of the wool, the lines running side to side and up and down, the irregular connections, represent the experiences of my life as a woman. The holes show how I, like women in society, have made some advances forward, and the patching shows how I and they have been pushed back. The subtle blues behind some wool shapes represent my real personality behind the cloak I have worn to succeed.