“She Ain’t Pretty That Way” is an exhibition about a different kind of beauty that reveals itself when we take a moment to look. This particular beauty I’m interested in exists in a space where humans are autonomous rather than driven by desire. This group of sculptures was made during the pandemic lockdown. With this abundant time to reflect, Powell chose to honor her mother, and meditate on the presence of her mother in her self through her creative production.
Click on each artwork for details
For this exhibition, Powell considered how her mother approached the world, how she used make-up and clothing to project an idea of herself to others. Powell’s observation of her mother’s rituals affected her, not as a prescription for her own life, but rather as a model of the idea that one can shape a personal aesthetic view of the world.
Joanna Powell (b.1981, Dallas,TX) received a BFA in ceramics from the University of North Texas(2008) and received an MFA in ceramics from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2012). Powell has exhibited her work throughout the United States including The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, The Montana Territorial Prison, Deer Lodge, Showpen Gallery, Denver; and Greenwich House Pottery in New York city. In 2011, she was a LEAP finalist at The Center for Contemporary Craft. Powell was a finalist in the 2014 Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics and received Honorable Mention. From 2013-2015 she was a long term-resident at The Archie Bray Foundation. Recently, she was named a 2015 NCECA Emerging Artist. Currently, she has a full time studio practice in Helena, MT.
