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Baylor BU Martin Museum of Art Exhibitions Past Exhibitions BFA Senior Exhibition: Fall 2022 Natalie Stitt - Honors College
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Natalie Stitt - Honors College

Natalie Stitt Portrait

Artist Statement

This project can be restrained to the exploration of three questions: how has disability been presented in art and media? What are we losing if it is ‘othered’ and excluded? How can disability be ethically portrayed in art? As an artist and as a friend to several individuals within the disabled community, I noticed the misrepresentation, underrepresentation, and stereotypical representation of people with disabilities throughout art, its history, and its practice. The aim of this project was to highlight the humanity of disability and to discuss what will be lost if spaces, specifically artistic ones, continue to be closed off not only to ethical representation of those with disabilities but their actual presence.

As a creative thesis, the exploration of this topic is structured in two parts, a series of six portraits and a written component. With three large scale portraits and three smaller portraits, the painting component seeks to encapsulate the humanity and personality of the subjects painted. Each of those painted are friends that I have known throughout my time in college, and I wanted them to be heavily involved in the creative process. Thus, I interviewed each individual, picked the reference photo with them and their family, and painted the qualities, interests, and traits that they wished me to portray. The written component traces a brief history of disability’s representation, offers a synopsis of artists who have challenged the stereotypes surrounding disability, and presents a philosophical analysis of disability studies, its relationship with portraiture, and consequently how an artist should ethically portray disability in their work.

With the project, my goal is not to speak for the individuals that I am painting, nor is it to speak to the disabled experience. I recognize that as an able-bodied person, my art will never add what a disabled artist’s work will to that conversation. Rather, my goal with this project is both to create a space where people with disabilities can be viewed with respect, dignity, and love by able-bodied viewers and to challenge able-bodied stereotypes and standards that have been upheld in art and society.

To read Natalie's full thesis project, please click here.

Selected Works:

Natalie Stitt BFA Image 2

Natalie Stitt, Zack, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 48

Natalie Stitt BFA Image 2b

Natalie Stitt, Zack and Woody, Oil on Canvas, 2022, 22 in.  x 28 in.

Natalie Stitt BFA Image 1b

Natalie Stitt, Faith and Her Tattoos, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 22 x 28

Natalie Stitt BFA Image 1

Natalie Stitt, Faith, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 48

Natalie Stitt BFA Image 3

Natalie Stitt, Kevin, Oil on Canvas, 2022, 36 in.  x 48 in.

Natalie Stitt Image 3b

Natalie Stitt, Kevin and His Disc, Oil on Canvas, 2022, 22 in.  x 28 in.

Martin Museum of Art

Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center
60 Baylor Ave
Waco, TX 76707

(254) 710-6371
martin_museum@baylor.edu
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Baylor BU Martin Museum of Art Exhibitions Past Exhibitions BFA Senior Exhibition: Fall 2022 Natalie Stitt - Honors College
  • About Us
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    • Staff
    • Department of Art & Art History
    • Events
  • Visit Us
    Back
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Tours
    • Parking
  • Exhibitions
    Back
    • Current Exhibitions
      Back
      • In the Ring: Goya's La Tauromaquia
      • Jason Bly: Curriculum for a Better Tomorrow
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
      Back
      • Baylor Art Student Exhibition 2023
      • Narrative as Reality: Constructing an Identity
      • BFA Senior Exhibition: Spring 2023
    • Past Exhibitions
      Back
      • Coming Home: Retired Faculty Showcase
      • BFA Senior Exhibition: Fall 2022
        Back
        • Lili Martin - BFA Graphic Design
        • Andrea Renova - BFA Fiber Arts
        • Natalie Stitt - Honors College
      • Paper Trail: Letterpress and Screenprinted Posters
      • The Sound of Color: Art Inspired by Music
      • 2022 Faculty Biennial Exhibition
      • The Art of the Landscape
      • Revisiting Audubon: An American Naturalist
      • The Floating World
    • Exhibition Publications
      Back
      • Audubon Catalog
      • Neoclassical Gaze Catalog
      • Emergence Exhibition Catalog
      • 2020 Faculty Biennial Exhibition Catalog
      • 2022 Faculty Biennial Exhibition Catalog
      • The Floating World Booklet
      • Finding Oaxaca Exhibition Booklet
    • Submit an Exhibition Proposal
    • Community Partnerships
  • Creative Arts Experience
  • Faculty and Students
    Back
    • BFA Important Information
    • Baylor Art Student Exhibition Information
      Back
      • Important Dates
      • Submitting Artwork
      • About the Juror
      • Juror Nominations
    • Biennial Faculty Exhibition Information
    • Faculty Exhibition Proposal Information
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