By Maria Elena Buszek
I mostly grew up in Omaha—I went to high school and college there after moving with my family from Detroit in 1984—and it eludes me how Wanda Ewing and I never crossed paths during those years. We were both weirdo art kids in mostly preppy high schools, probably went to all the same art openings and concerts, but didn’t meet until over a decade later, after I’d made a scene at the 2003 College Art Association annual conference.
By Sally Deskins
Wanda’s inspiration from pop art radiates in her pin-up prints. Transforming the kitschy source imagery of 1940s pin-ups, Wanda’s Black as Pitch, Hot as Hell series, explores how race informs society’s idea of female beauty. (Above: Wanda Ewing, Black as Pitch, Hot as Hell, 2006. Acrylic and latex paint on carved plywood. Right: Girl #2, 48″ x 48″. Left: Girl #6, 48″ x 48″.)
By Sally Deskins
Wanda’s work critiques objective representations of the black female body, placing it in contemporary frameworks. Body Map (Wanda Ewing, Body Map, lincout, n.d.) is headless, floating, limited to the square box frame, while strong, sinuous and flexible, in motion. The appealing style in an unknown environment is akin to pop art, but exudes feminist intent—as in the work of Renee Cox and Lorna Simpson.
By Sally Deskins
I’m so honored to help initiate the reigniting of Wanda’s website through this blog. You may know Wanda was my mentor and friend. I’ve written about how I met her and she inspired me to start my blog, Les Femmes Folles, and to continue making art and to pursue a master’s degree in art history. Of course she also inspired me as a person and strong feminist deeply, just through her being.
The 2015 SGC International Printmaking Conference—Sphere, in Knoxville, TN, will be hosting a tribute exhibition of work of the late artist, Wanda Ewing.
This small exhibition offers an overview of Wanda’s prints and other works. Ewing who was a former faculty member from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and her MFA from the University of Iowa. She died in December 2013, following a battle with cancer.
What: Wanda Ewing Tribute Exhibition, Opening Reception
Date: Friday, March 20, 2015
Where: Black Cultural Center, 1800 Melrose Ave., Knoxville, TN
Time: 6pm-8:30pm
For more information about the conference and the exhibition click here.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Art Gallery will be hosting an open house reception; Celebrating Wanda Ewing on Sunday November 23, 2014 from 3pm until 5pm, at the Weber Fine Arts Building Room 129 to celebrate the art of Wanda D. Ewing. The Arts and Communication department purchased several pieces of Wanda’s work this year, this event will give the community the ability to view her work from over the years. Wanda’s art will soon to be a permanent part of the University’s art collection and will be displayed throughout the UNO campus.
During this reception, a formal announcement of the creation of the Wanda Ewing Memorial Scholarship will be made. Applications for the first scholarship to be awarded for the 2015-16 academic year will be accepted through March 2, 2015. Learn more about applying for the scholarship here.
What: Celebrating Wanda Ewing—Opening Reception
Where: UNO Art Gallery | 6001 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68182
Time: 3pm – 5pm
Duration: 11/23 – 12/20, 2014