Wish You Were Here & No Added Sugar!
Epiphany Knedler - Wish You Were Here & Mairin Narron - No Added Sugar!
MFA Candidates - East Carolina University
Spring 2020
Wish You Were Here - Epiphany Knedler
Wish You Were Here: Legends of the Great Plains examines the ways the Great Plains romanticizes its region using legends, folklore, and histories. This history is often commodified through roadside attractions and monuments where tourists can enter these places, take part in photo-ops, and buy souvenirs as proof of the experience and inclusion in this part of history. The Great Plains is full of legends rooted in truth, from the infamous Buffalo Bill in the Wild West to the spirits of the Badlands, but the stories overshadow some grim truths of Midwestern history. These stories become a sense of pride and comfort for the local population, who use iconography to perpetuate the ideas of manifest destiny and the Wild West. With awareness of this history, the authenticity of these spaces as well as their interpretations are put into question.
Epiphany Knedler is a chronicler of American life and political enthusiast. Growing up in Vermillion, South Dakota, she finds comfort in Midwestern aesthetics and small town familiarity. She graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2017 with a BFA in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Photography and a BA in Political Science. She strives to find the quiet yet eccentric moments in familiar environments. She is currently based in Greenville, North Carolina, pursuing an MFA in Photography at East Carolina University. Her work has recently been exhibited with the North Carolina Museum of Art, CAM Raleigh, and Lenscratch.
No Added Sugar! - Mairin Narron
Derived from personal experience, No Added Sugar! calls to question gender-based norms embraced by the culture in America. Using candy as the main medium, this body of work equates imposing traditional feminine ideals onto women to overindulging in sugar. Women are taught to be sweet in both appearance and attitude. As a young woman in America, the pressure to embrace feminine ideals is ever present, weighing on myself and others. This series showcases my personal transition from struggling with sexist notions to developing a sense of power which is shown in the transformation of how the candy is used in my pieces. What was once hurting me is now being used to represent power and strength. In every direction, there is reflection, in every direction there is a beauty, and in every direction, there is you. Stay, reflect and step into your power.
Mairin is a North Carolina based artist who creates work pertaining to engendered stereotypes by using candy as her medium. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts at East Carolina University where she also is currently a Masters in Fine Arts candidate. In her undergraduate career, she studied heavy metal fabrication and created large steel sculptures. As a female sculptor who worked with steel, she experienced various forms of sexism which were the impetus to her creation of her current body of work. She hopes that through awareness, her work will impact those who view it to adjust their views on engendered traditions.
