Dazzling Dress Exhibition Opening at BPL on July 10

Leanna Leithauser Lesley - Black and Tan Fantasy 

On Friday, July 10, a dazzling exhibition of 12 dresses by 12 Alabama artists will open at the Central Library. Embodied: Contemporary Takes on the Dress is the result of a collective desire to create dresses for the purpose of telling personal stories. 

Featured artists include Amanda Banks, Merrilee Challiss, Kimberly Hart, Alvina Zendejas Montes Hill, Tara Stallworth Lee, Leanna Leithauser Lesley, Robin Nance Metz, Savvy Pendragon, Michelle Reynolds, Chiharu Roach, Lillis Taylor, and Cynthia Wagner. An opening reception will take place on Friday, July 17, at 3:30 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Gallery. 

Made in distinct styles with a variety of unique, sometimes unconventional, materials, the showcased dresses are visual narratives prompted by experiences, observations, and stances towards topics such as culture, the environment, and society.

Alvina Zendajas Montes Hill - Vestido Alvina

Embodied: Contemporary Takes on the Dress came together organically at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdown. It was born out of curator Leanna Leithauser Lesley’s wish to add a sculptural element to an existing solo show. After touching base with colleagues, Leithauser Lesley recognized a mutual inclination to recount individual histories through the dressmaking process.

Perceived as a whole, Embodied is an immersive study in self-identity, semiotics, joy, sorrow, and humanity. The artists’ hope is that the viewer identifies with one or more of the displayed dresses as he or she reflects on the exhibition.

Embodied: Contemporary Takes on the Dress is made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. 

Michelle Reynolds - Interconnected: Remnants of Cloth and Nature 

Written by Margaret Splane, Library Assistant III - Art for Everyone,Community Engagement, Fundraising