Supporting the arts

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Women's bodies have inspired artists for hundreds, even thousands, of years -- the goddess statues made by ancient cultures, the Venus de Milo. The examples are too many to list.

Something much more rare is inspiration drawn from women's undergarments. The idea may sound over-the-top and risque. Mike Marsh, the new director of the Sikeston Depot Museum, thought so when he first heard it.

"I was a little worried about what we might get," Marsh said.

The "Art of Underpinnings" exhibit, a touring show from Paducah, Ky., was already scheduled for a stint at the Depot by former director Delilah Tayloe, who set it up before she took a job as executive director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

But Marsh said his anxieties disappeared when he saw the exhibit.

"It's just really fun and it's done in good taste," Marsh said.

The Art of Underpinnings is an exhibit of 36 artistically decorated bras made by artists from a three-state region. Any art that uses a 34C size bra for its canvas could easily get a bit racy, but the exhibit prides itself on taste.

"It is a very visual thing, and it's difficult to describe without showing someone an example," said Ann Ponder Simpson, director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program based in Paducah. "None of this is distasteful or risque -- it's all done in good fun."

The Art of Underpinnings actually began last year as a fundraiser for RSVP. Last year little attention was paid to the exhibit, which showed only at the RSVP center in Paducah.

But this year things changed.

A Paducah floral shop agreed to host the exhibit and created a giant pink bra for display outside the shop to promote the event. The massive Paducah quilt show provided another venue, and national media took notice.

"You always hope for something like that," said Myra Hook, the volunteer coordinator with RSVP who first proposed the project. "You want to dream big, and it really amazed us."

Hook, an artist herself with several bras on display, got the idea from a magazine on fabric arts. The magazine showcased art that used undergarments as a canvas. She said at first the idea brought lots of raised eyebrows from people with which she discussed it.

"I made sure to have that magazine with me any time I talked about it," Hook said.

But the idea picked up momentum and submissions streamed in. The 36 bras on display each have their own stories, their own personalities, and they stand as creative artistic expressions.

"Everyone, man or woman, has a love-hate relationship with the bra," Hook said.

The subject are widely varied: from a bra with two huge alien eyes on the cups called "Braswell" to a black and red garment studded with nails called "Hands Off," created by Paducah artist Gretchen Smith.

Hook created Braswell, since she was born in New Mexico in the 1950s.

Smith's piece is a religious statement about the struggle young people have with abstinence.

Two bras were made by a man -- Myron Wessel. One is a tribute to Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The other, "I Only Have Eyes For You," has two huge eyeballs on the cups -- a tribute to his affection for his wife.

"You think of one idea and it leads you to another and another and another," Hook said. "It's a different medium to work with.

"It was something that was just fun, and a different way to express your creativity. Each one means something different to everybody."

Hook and Simpson call the Art of Underpinnings more than just an art exhibit -- it's an art challenge. And the challenge is open to anyone.

While the idea for Underpinnings was created as a benefit for the Paducah RSVP, the challenge was open to people of any age. No Missouri artists submitted bras, but Simpson and Hook said they'd welcome submissions from the state when the challenge comes around again next year.

The Sikeston exhibit might help inspire some locals to take part. "Underpinnings" will be in Sikeston throughout this month and possibly into August, leaving plenty of time for locals to get ideas of their own.

Next year the canvas could change, though.

"One year it could be a bra, a corset, a slip -- that way we can keep it fresh," Simpson said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182