"Narissah Revealed" by Wendy Mike - CSPM
Logo for the "50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity" Exhibit Banner.

“Narissah Revealed” by Wendy Mike

Women have always been creative. Women have always been artistic. Women have always been artists. Yet, their work has remained largely unrecognized. This is not surprising, considering women’s art represents approximately 10% of works collected by museums. 50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity transforms the CSPM collection to more accurately reflect the complexity, diversity, and uniqueness of the Pikes Peak region. Using historic artwork and artifacts, alongside contemporary pieces, the 50% exhibit creates a beautiful conversation between women across time, demonstrating how they’ve always told their stories through art and creativity.

– From the CSPM Curator of History

Narissah Revealed, Wendy Mike, Mixed Media

Artist Statement
I am besotted with love for the human form, specifically emanations of the figure in motion. My attempt is to create and portray a kind of gestural language: a vocabulary of postures. Necessity and intent cause me to seek out and perfect the use of non-traditional, low-tech materials. Natural fabrics, such as silk in this case, I find mostly in thrift stores. Fabric has been used to protect and embellish the body for millennium, achieving its expressive apex in women’s clothing. The medium references the female; the work is inherently feminist. I begin by sculpting an anatomically detailed figure for use as a model on which to cast the fabric. When complete, the sculpture is less about the dress and more about the body it describes. With the body absent, the essence of the physical form, the “spirit’ of the individual is present, yet free of “identity.” Beauty is cherished and consciously coaxed from every sculpture I make. Just as it is impossible to throw back one’s head with chest and arms open to the sky and simultaneously experience depression, beauty works irresistibly on the soul