HELEN KLEBESADEL

Title of series: Giclee Prints

Media: Limited Edition Giclee prints of original watercolors

Artists Statement:

The creative process can be an act of self-determination and empowerment. It can be a powerful tool when used to reclaim lost or undervalued parts of ourselves and the world. My work documents my thinking and allows me to take back what I was taught to devalue.

My goal in my art is to connect common daily experiences to broader social issues. Myths shape consciousness, and therefore they shape behavior. Much of my past work has been concerned with what the societal myths and stories present in our visual culture teach us, and understanding how we could change the myths to alter the world by presenting alternative visual narratives. I believe the myths and stories of a culture and subcultures have tremendous power to shape human experience. The myths one believes in determine the world one creates, for good or ill. Not all myths are constructive or positive or useful. Some like those that justify domination of one group over another (men over women, humans over nature, rich over poor, Caucasians over everyone else) are hurtful to all involved. My paintings are a part of a larger effort aimed at fostering a shift in consciousness. Throughout the world people are re-imagining what it means to be human, what it means to lead a good life, and what it means to be good stewards of the earth at the same time.

 About the Exhibit:

A number of limited edition giclee (digital) prints of original watercolors by Helen Klebesadel are now on display in the Women's Studies Rsearch Center.   Most of the works are from a series called "Everyday Use"  which refers to a short story by Alice Walker which examines the place of quilts as representing meaning and values. 

About the Artist:

Helen Klebesadel is best known for her large, feminist watercolors, which consider definitions of "female" and "feminine" in myth, folklore and stories, and how we value and devalue those things associated with women. She re-examines and re-visions images and ideas in a search for representations that accurately express her experience and understanding of the world. Helen received her MFA from UW-Madison in 1989.  Klebesadel became director of the Women's Studies Consortium of the University of Wisconsin System in September of 2000 after teaching painting, printmaking and gender studies at Lawrence University for ten years. In addition, she is a Visiting Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Women's Studies Program of the UW-Madison.  She is also a past national president of the Women's Caucus for Art, the oldest and largest multidisciplinary women's art organization in the United States.  Helen exhibits her artwork nationally and internationally.