i
hHe
Volume XVVII, Issue 14
Educating Women To Excel
January 26, 2005
ON THE
INSIDE:
Campus
JSlews
Page 2
Community
Events
Page 3
MIA
Week
Page 4
Meditation
Practice
Page 4
Meredith’s
Weekly Weather
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Partly CloixJy
High 61/ Low 33
Mostly Sunny
High 49/ Low 26
Partly Cloudy
High 3S/ Low If,
Mostly Cloudy
High 46/Low 38
Showers
High 49/Low 41
Partly Cloudy
High 60/ Low 40
ShuwcTS
High 60/ Low 36
Art exhibit in Johnson explores
’’"W^hat Haunts’* visitors
lACEY MADDREY
Staff Writer
Mixed media artist and
Meredith Alumna Cathy
McLaurin introduced her
installation exhibit entitled
“What Haunts...” on Sun
day, January 23 in the Ro
tunda Gallery of Johnson
Hall. “What Haunts...” is
an ongoing piece comprised
of over 2000 yellowed 4x5
pieces of paper, each con
taining a hand written secret;
tacked atop one another.
Also included in the exhibit
is a wooden booth complete
with a curtain for privacy,
paper, pencils and a locked
depository box for anyone
who wishes to contribute a
secret and become a part of
McLaurin's art.
Inspired by adulthood
reflections of her very own
life-long secrets, McLaurin
set out to gather the secrets
of others and piece them into
an installation art project.
“Secrets are a part of our hu
man , existence," McLaurin
said. The project began when
McLaurin sent out 300 letters
to various people including
family members asking them
to anonymously contribute
Paper dress created from to-do
lists, part of the exhibit "What
Haunts" on display in Johnson.
photo couresy www.meredith.^u
photo courtesy ofwww.meredith.edu
Part of McLaurin's "What Haunts" exhibit, a wooden booth stands beside a wall of secrets
gathered from locations across the country.
a handwritten secret. Upon
receiving 150 secrets at her
home address, McLaurin
knew she could push for
ward with the project. Apt
ly titled after the Nicolas
Abraham quotation: “What
haunts are not the dead, but
the gaps left within us by the
secrets of others;” the “What
Haunts...” exhibit has trav
eled far and wide. The project
has been displayed in 15 dif
ferent venues from Mass. to
Ore. including an Episcopal
church during Lent, a library,
and a bar. In each place, the
public had the opportunity
to privately add a secret to
the work, which McLaurin
believes are unique to the
places they were gathered.
With over 2000 collected se
crets, McLaurin has not yet
decided to put an end to her
project and has no set num
ber of secrets she expects
to achieve before the instal
lation is completed. The
completion of the project is
merely instinctual.
In addition to the “What
Haunts...” project, other
pieces of McLaurin’s work
can be seen on display in the
Rotunda. Other mixed media
pieces by McLaurin include
a dress compiled of to-do
lists, a wall of sock monkey
portraits, and a row of bees
wax bunnies with a surprise
twist. In bringing her work
to Meredith, McLaurin re
marked she is greatly ben
efited because she not only
gets to share her experiences,
but receives the opportunity
to learn of the experiences of
others as well.
McLaurin is a North Caro
lina native and '88 graduate
of Meredith College. She
currently resides in Ames-
bury, Massachusetts and
works as a Special Projects
Director at the Essex Art
Center in Lawrence, Mass.
“What Haunts..will be on
display in the Rotunda Gal
lery until February 20.