Beginning Feb. 2, the Women's Studies Research Center (WSRC) will host the exhibition Generativity & Creativity, which features Brandeis professors Susan Lichtman, Tory Fair and Nadine Zanow (FA). The show centers itself around the concept of duality, questioning the role of the teacher in relation to the artist, as well as relationship between the domestic and the public figure.The show was conceived when members of the WSRC staff wondered whether female fine arts faculty members at Brandeis could teach and produce their own art simultaneously. As Ana Davis, director of external relations and the arts at the WSRC commented, the exhibition is "risk-taking," marking many firsts for these artists.

Primarily, this is the only instance where they have exhibited their works together. In addition, it is the first time these artists will formally present their own creations to their students and the Brandeis community. On display until Feb. 23, the exhibition will turn the tables on these faculty members, allowing their students to view and critique their styles, skills and subjects.

All three artists hope to convey that while these works represent their own character and artistic sensibility, none embody a "right" way to create art. The styles presented are very different, but still manage to successfully co-exist in the same gallery space.

Both Lichtman and Fair worked on-site to create original pieces, while Zanow submitted already-completed paintings. Each woman's work touches on domestic themes, an ironic touch considering their place of employment.

Lichtman's most prominent creation for the show, a wall mural, pays homage to the family by incorporating her own relatives as well as anonymous models taken from magazine advertisements into the scene. This piece, like many others in her oeuvre, depicts "work, leisure and fantasy in a domestic setting." It is unique it that it represents the first time that the artist has attempted to paint directly on a wall's surface. One can see that she has taken special interest in capturing daylight in an interior space.

Fair's art can be found in the center of the exhibit in an installation called Game Time Series. She employs the idea of sports competition, bringing it into a social context using everyday objects like tables and chairs. According to the artist, "the presence of a lined field or court immediately allows us to improvise and navigate differently through a place. It further permits us to bring everyday dialogue into a competitive logic." In the work, large rubber bands interact with the objects they rest upon and serve to make the lines of a "playing field more physical."

Zanow's brightly colored paintings reflect her interest in "the spirituality and memory of places." The artist grew up with parents of Germanic and Slavic origin, and comments that her "home was a mosaic painted by woven patterned carpets, colorful Bulgarian pottery and embroideries from Europe."



The opening reception for the show will take place at the WSRC on Wednesday, Feb. 2. The artists will speak at 5:30 p.m.