BREAST PLATE

Breast Plate embodies the notion that women deserve to be proud of their femininity and identity. Originally inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement, this series of feminist sculptures centers on women’s rights to bodily autonomy because women are expected to be beautiful and flawless, much like the finish of a porcelain plate. We are to be displayed, but never touched in order to remain “pristine” or “pure.” By using symbols such as flowers which represent genitalia, attention is drawn to the women's sexuality and anatomy. Rather than seeing women’s bodies as a taboo subject, these pieces instead celebrate and embrace what it is to be a woman.They were made from a woman's perspective, with the female gaze in mind. They represent who we are and can be when we refuse to be placed on display, we refuse to collect dust on a shelf or in a china cabinet. The pieces were made from found family heirloom plates, polymer clay, simple red sewing thread, and plaster. The coloring was done with blush from makeup palettes. They were assembled with crazy glue and further fixed or “tied down” with the red thread. I chose the color red to emphasize the hostility of the strings holding down the sculptures, forcing them to remain docile to the power binding them in place. The color pink contrasts with the overpowering red strings, emphasizing the femininity of the plates and their designs while remaining soft and delicate.

Jessamine Rayder is a painter and ceramicist originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2019 she moved to Chicago to expand her practice and skill set and to pursue her interest in the arts. Jessamine started out with drawing from a young age, but became heavily interested in painting and ceramics when she began attending The Art Institute of Chicago. Much of her painting work focuses on surrealism and memories from her past that she translates onto canvas. Ceramics have become an extension of her painting practice because it is a way of creating 3D paintings. She was born into a southern matriarch headed by her grandmother; whom she lived with all her childhood. Her artwork has always been centered around her experiences with womanhood; whether it be about living in a plus size body, her ongoing battle with PCOS, or memories from girlhood. Her work has been heavily influenced by her upbringing in an all female household as much of her work comes back to womanhood and the many ups and downs that come with it. This all culminates into a series she is really proud of and happy to be able to present.