Lunchtime Talk: Alison J Carr – Liberating Muses

The Muses Are Watching is Alison’s most recent work, depicting several historical women that feature as subjects in Sheffield’s visual art collection. The figures were selected due to their common link of being subjects – seated, watched and painted by others – with Alison asking the question: what happens when these women are put in relation to one another and get to be the ones watching for a change?

In this insightful talk, Alison will reflect on her approach to working with the women featured in the commission. She’ll share selected details of the fascinating lives of her subjects, ranging from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu in the 1700s to Edith Sitwell in the 1900s.

She will also explore the intentions behind her material choices and describe how the piece came together, while exploring questions that guided the work—what they reveal about representation, power, and visibility—and why these questions remain urgent and necessary today.

Image credit: The Muses are Watching by Alison J Carr

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