To promote open discussion of sexual harassment and violence, one University of Wisconsin senior is crafting conversation through ceramics and other forms of artwork.
As part of a project for her ceramics class, Jackie Scott, a pre-med, senior undergraduate art student, invited women across campus to an open discussion and art collaboration event “Catcall to Action: An Artistic Expression of Campus Harassment,” which is an extension of Scott’s upcoming art exhibition, titled “Hey Baby: A Ceramic Exploration of Campus Harassment.”
A recurring theme throughout the night among the students’ work was the anger generated by catcalling, or street harassment. The majority of the art portrayed a negative reaction to getting unwanted attention from male strangers.
Aside from simply discussing the issue at hand, the women at “Catcall to Action: An Artistic Expression of Campus Harassment” also shared with each other their personal experiences with street harassment. From being yelled at for not smiling back to calling the police for protection, the artists’ were fed up with the unwanted attention — and it was powerfully reflected in their work.
At the moment, Scott believes there are more student-led initiatives to address the issue of sexual violence on campus, than administrative-led ones.
“There needs to be more dialogue on campus,” Scott said. “We can’t just keep getting WiscAlerts hour or days after the fact.”
She also created ceramic jars that directly resemble breasts that were on display at the exhibition. In modeling pottery in the form of the female anatomy, Scott raises the question of “whether to touch or not touch” the jars.
“The jars create literal objects out of the female body the way women are reduced to objects at any given day of the year,” Scott said her artist statement.
Despite the already provocative nature of her work, Scott was not done quite yet. She wanted “everyone to understand the meaning of ‘no’,” and enlisted the help of her fellow female artists to do so.
Scott said she understands sexual assault and rape are sometimes difficult and uncomfortable topics to talk about. Often people won’t go get help and instead turn to darker outlets. In her opinion, she finds art to be an incredibly powerful and safe outlet when dealing with tough situations and has implemented this idea of “creating instead of destructing.” That being said, she hopes to share that outlet with others in hopes that it would provide a constructive way to deal with the “challenges that life inevitably throws at you.”
As the final touch to her exhibition, Scott cut out strips of paper with common “catcalling phrases” printed on them. She placed them in the ceramic jars and plans to have attendees — an emphasis on male participants —pull them out and read them to have a better understanding of what some females face on the daily basis from something as simple as a walk home.
“Hey Baby: A Ceramic Exploration of Campus Harassment” will be on display at the Campus Women’s Center from May 2-5 during regular office hours. Artwork from the “Catcall to Action: An Artistic Expression of Campus Harassment” event will be featured alongside Scott’s ceramic works.
