Folks unfamiliar with the dynamic little artistic community at the center of Johnson City, Texas, might consider it a daring move for someone to host an art show centered on the female breast, its form and function.
This is, after all, a rural community–a place that remains visibly rooted in traditional ranching culture.
Yet local businesswoman Linda Haddock felt a compelling need to raise awareness about breastfeeding. She also wanted to provoke discussions about the politicization of the female body.
“The idea for this show was churning for about two years. There’s another gallery in town that does shows centered around one word. I couldn’t persuade them to go with ‘breast’ as a topic, so I kept thinking about it, couldn’t shake it,” said Haddock, co-owner of Echo in Johnson City, an eclectic retail and gallery space housed in a renovated Ford showroom. “There was my own interest, too, in National Breastfeeding Month held every August. I woke up one morning this spring and thought ‘Let’s do a show here, in the store.’ Basically, that little militant in me spoke up and said ‘Yes, let’s have a show.’”
Since this was the first juried art show Haddock and her partner, John Sone, had ever undertaken, they reached out to experienced artists and curators for guidance.
Among them was Mark Smith, founder of Austin’s legendary Flatbed Press who recently purchased artist Mars Woodhill’s Texas Arthouse gallery in Johnson City. Smith’s place is just across the street from Echo, another one of several fine art galleries in town. “Mark and another artist, Deborah Mersky, were a huge help to us, especially in those early days of planning,” said Haddock.
Eventually, with artist Ginger Geyer having agreed to serve as the show’s curator, Haddock and Sone were ready to promote the show’s call for entries in late May.
And that’s when the pair hit pushback. Except the resistance didn’t come from local folks.
No, it came from the Internet–specifically Facebook.
As the pair shared with Echo’s online followers, the social media platform initially rejected the show’s original advertising graphic, designed by Mersky.
“It featured an image of an Indian statue, a piece of art Hindu religious art,” said Haddock. “Can you imagine? That’s offensive?”
Undaunted, Haddock and Sone used the exchange with Facebook to build awareness for the exhibition.
“We just shared what they told us we couldn’t do,” she said with a laugh. “We ran with it.”
With the opening of the August 2018 show on the horizon, Haddock said she’s feeling energized at sharing the works selected, especially in the wake of recent major news stories about breastfeeding. A portion of the proceeds will be set aside to benefit La Leche League and other like-minded nonprofit organizations.
“This topic is always important to me, as a childbirth educator, doula, lactation consultant, mom, and woman,” said photographer Denise Moore of San Antonio, one of the artists Geyer selected for the show. “Breastfeeding itself, is often the most natural, bonding, challenging, and sometimes painful thing a woman does. As women, we’re called to support each other, be there for each other and normalize breastfeeding. Shows like The Breast Show help us move in the right direction. They definitely push all of us to stop and recognize the beauty in women.”
“I think what we’re doing is timely and will generate interest,” said Haddock, adding that show entries came in from across the country. “In the end, we ended up with 30 artists, mostly from Texas but also from places like New York and Miami, and 44 individual pieces in different media.”
Two public receptions will anchor the exhibit, which runs August 1 through 31. The first one, slated for August 9 at 7:00 p.m., includes an awards presentation. The second will be held during the popular monthly Johnson City Art Walk on August 25 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
After The Breast Show, Haddock plans to turn her attention to another exhibition slated for October 2018. That show will feature the advertising work of Mary Wells, the real-life person on whom Elizabeth Moss’s character, “Peggy,” is rumored to have been based upon in the popular AMC-series Mad Men.
Looking further ahead, Haddock envisions returning to the breastfeeding theme in 2019.
“I want to continue doing shows with political themes, and I’d like to revisit the breastfeeding topic again next summer, maybe even see it grow, expand, and spill over into other spaces in town.”
Story by Pamela Price, founder of TheTexasWildflower.com.
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