Jacque Davis First Place Winner for Ann Maritz Members Exhibition
Dentata, 72 x 25 inches, textile, 2019 $800
The Ann Maritz Members Exhibition, November 20 – January 2, showcases St. Louis Artists’ Guild members' work and their diverse artwork and mediums. Jacque Davis’s fiber piece, “Dentata,” stood out to juror Dr. Joni Hand and was awarded first place for several reasons. We spoke with Jacque Davis about her prize-winning piece and her art practice.
Zackary: What is your story? What is your background?
Jacque:
I have a bachelor's degree in transpersonal psychology, focusing on aging, death and dying, and a minor in dream studies. As a counselor, I used hypnotherapy as a tool to work with people who had experienced sexual abuse or were dealing with chronic pain or illness and provided end of life support. I was frequently amazed by the imagery clients reported while in a trance state or when they spoke of their dreams. Such rich inner lives we all have! My dreams and previous counseling work has inspired my art. Getting dream imagery on a cloth is fascinating to me. Currently, I volunteer for a hospice providing patient support and am a trained death doula.
Zackary: What inspired you to become an artist?
Jacque:
When my middle child was born in 1991, I began to feel that I was disappearing into a wife/mom bubble and felt a strong need to create and have part of my life be about more than these roles. I began a weaving class when my daughter was two weeks old. My love of working with textiles began there. I focused on weaving complex laces for many years. Through the years, my interests have changed. I tried quilting in 1989 and hated it! The fabrics were bland and the process and tools were so tedious, cutting shapes using cardboard templates and scissors: UGH not for me–I stopped after making a 12-inch square. In 2000 we moved to North Dakota. Two seasons of brutal cold and mosquitos: housebound, I was going stir crazy. My friends suggested quilting. My reply, “I hate quilting!”
Eventually, they lured me into a quilt shop with the promise of really excellent pie. When I walked into the quilt shop, I was met with a wall of batik fabrics and fell in love with the vibrant colors and unique patterns. Quilting tools had significantly improved. I left the shop with a sewing machine and all the tools needed to make quilts, plus a hefty sack of fabrics. Rather quickly sewing bed quilts began to feel ho-hum with all that cutting up to sew back together, and the hard lines in quilts felt too rigid. I wanted curves and softer edges and wanted to say something with a quilt. I began to travel to study with instructors teaching art quilting: Judith Trager, Judy Dales, and Jane Sassaman. I became interested in creating my own cloth. I studied discharge dyeing with Bob Adams, did a self study of breakdown (deconstructed) screen printing learning from Claire Benn and Kerr Grabowski. This is my favorite way to create art cloth. Lastly, I participated in a two year Art Cloth Mastery course with Jane Dunnewold. I spent ten years attending a yearly textile artist retreat, where I was encouraged and inspired by my fellow textile artists and painters and the beach.
Zackary: The creation of the female condom inspired your piece titled “Dentata.” Could you elaborate on the conceptualization of the inspiration for your piece of art?
Jacque:
I first became aware of the RapeEx condom in 2010. I saved the article and photo image of the condom: it stuck with me. The RapeX story began re-circulating during the Me Too movement. I decided to do further research and came upon the term vaginal dentata, folklore in many countries. There is also a 2005 movie titled “Teeth.” My inspiration began when Me Too and RapeX converged in my imagination (I really love the word Dentata).
I began drawing a lot of teeth and barbed images in a variety of colors until I settled on this color palette: soft flesh tones, soft greens, and color pops of black and red. I was also considering the language used to question victims of assault and rape.
Influence of Patience, textile, $250.00
My original artist statement was shortened for this exhibit the original long version follows :
What were you wearing when you were raped? Did you fight back? Did you say no? How could this man have resisted that, that low slung blouse? How culpable is the implication.
In 2005, inspired by a rape survivors comment, “If only I had teeth down there,” Dr. Sonnet Ehlers invented the RapeX, a female condom with teeth that can only be removed by a physician. This medical visit could help provide evidence for an arrest and prosecution. To date, nothing has become of the RapeX condom. A Go Fund Me is well short of its $310,000 goal to begin production. Currently, there are no women using this device.
I can’t help but wonder what if vaginas had teeth and could fight back? If instead of “What were you wearing?” A police officer said, “I see you were wearing teeth when you were raped.”
This art is inspired by the RapeX condom… not a perfect solution but an idea with a bite.
Zackary: Does all your artwork focus on this same topic, or do you find inspiration in other contemporary topics?
Jacque:
I don’t focus on just this topic, but women’s issues speak to me. In the coming year, I plan to do pieces about sex trafficking and gun violence.
I have done political pieces about the environment, politics, Covid and the media. I do not intend to do only political art, but let’s face it: these times are rich with material.
Other inspiration comes from my work with the actively dying, poetry, words or a well phrased sentence.
Zackary: Do you strictly work in the medium of textile and fibers or do you work in other mediums?
Jacque:
I love photography, painting, sketching and using them to create cloth, but they have never been primary, only a way to inspire or explore an idea or get it down before I forget it. During Covid, I have been doing some online drawing classes to develop my skills … there is this piece I want to do, and I will need better drawing skills to achieve it.
Zackary: Could you describe how you create the fabric/textiles you are using within your work?
Jacque:
Sanctuary, textile, $500