MFA Lesley University
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Donna Woodley is a painter whose most recent works merge the examination of black culture, American culture, and Western art. She decided to pursue an education in fine arts after twenty years of working as an accountant ultimately earning her MFA from Lesley University in Boston, Massachusetts. She resides in Nashville, TN where she has emerged within the art community having participated in a number of exhibitions as well as a solo exhibition. She is ecstatic about her future as a maker and is looking forward what is ahead. The female figure in my paintings is confrontational towards the visibility and value of black women within American society, both historically and from a contemporary context. I am drawn to what has happened as well as what is happening in American society and its effect on black women. The enlistment of women that I know is consistently a significant part of the artistic practice in creating portraits. My work depicts women bridged through iconographic symbols such as a pair of underwear or a scarf which provides connections to history such as 1940s Oscar award winner Hattie McDaniel who wore a scarf during her portrayal of the character “Mammy,” in “Gone with the Wind,” The examination of ethnic names, their value, and American society’s behavior toward them also enlightens my work. Studies and ideas surrounding the discourse of names are sourced from the history of slavery as it relates to the naming of American slaves. Informed by stereotypes, cultural similarities and differences, perception of beauty, and esteem, my work often uses humor to create an environment conducive to healthy discourse. |