Soft Power: A History of Soft Sculpture

Soft Power: A History of Soft Sculpture

From Claes Oldenburg to Yayoi Kusama and Faith Ringgold, this lecture unpacks the rise of soft sculpture in the 20th century. We’ll explore how pliable materials like fabric, vinyl, and stuffing became tools of critique, humor, sensuality, and resistance—often tied to feminist and anti-war movements.

A Monthly Lecture Series at Goucher College

What can a material say? How do artists use their mediums to express memory, identity, power, and protest?

In From Medium to Meaning, this monthly lecture series explores the art historical, cultural, and political contexts of diverse artistic practices. Spanning ancient funerary art to contemporary installation, the series centers close looking, material exploration, and critical analysis—connecting past to present, the classroom to the gallery, and the personal to the collective.

Each lecture will be presented by Liz Faust, Director of Exhibitions and Curator, and will highlight objects from Goucher’s collection, regional artists, or current exhibitions, offering new ways of seeing art history in motion.

Host or Publisher Goucher Art Galleries