Denise Moody-Tackley

It took the daughter to the library yesterday and we enjoyed an unexpected treat: Art by Denise Moody-Tackley. She makes wedding dresses using the trappings of domestic life. And trappings is the appropriate word here. We saw gowns made from copper dish-scrubbing pads, mop-heads, safety pins, bedding, garbage bags and divorce papers. You can find a few photos of her work here, here and here. If you live near me, you can see her work at the St. Lucie County/IRSC/FAU library in St. Lucie West. I don't know how long her work will be there.

States the artist:

Examining how stereotypical views of women are constructed from the responsibilities of everyday life is the starting point of my work. For years I have been confronted with gender issues, boundary concerns, class differences, and the interpretation of the feminine identity. With the help of everyday objects that are inherent to a woman's life I create puns, wry and biting remarks about traditional women's roles.With safety pins, garbage bags, mops, doormats, and a myriad of seemingly insignificant objects, I build women's garments to question accepted notions of female identity. Long, flowing, traditional wedding dresses twist the idea of women's fashion and the ascribed roles they carry. What is believed and passed on moves from the internal to the external, clear markings and identifiers of expected women's knowledge worn like a badge, like a uniform.