Suzanne Schireson
About the talk
Suzanne Schireson's great grandfather profoundly impacted her life and her work. Dr. Henry Junius Schireson, a plastic surgeon, became obsessed with the aesthetics of the head and body. In his 1938 text, As Others See You, Dr. Henry Junius Schireson claimed "nature when imperfect is often very ugly and repellent. A thing cannot be beautiful and ugly."
Now, three quarters of century later, Dr. Schireson's great granddaughter creates artwork in response to the surgeon's medical practice. As a figurative artist, Ms. Schireson is fascinated by her great grandfather's surgical obsession. Through her paintings, she explores two inherent contradictions that underlie his work - the necessity of precision vs. the risk of invention and the power to heal vs. the fostering of insecurity.
In her lecture, "As Others See You," Schireson presents the artwork she made in response to her great grandfather's medical practice during the infancy of plastic surgery. And she will discuss her search to understand his motivations through her interpretation of this complex story about identity and changing appearances.
About the speaker
Suzanne Schireson is an artist and Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Schireson's work includes painting, drawing, and video. In 2015, she had a solo exhibition at Smith College entitled "Ears May Talk Behind Your Back". In 2014 her work was included in "Selfies and Friends: Contemporary Portraiture" at Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI.
Internationally, Schireson has exhibited her work at The China Millennium Monument World Art Museum in Beijing and participated in the 2012 Ecorea Jeonbuk Biennale with exhibitions throughout Jeollabuk-do, South Korea including the Sori Art Center. She is the recipient of numerous awards including two Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants (2007 and 2009). Schireson holds an MFA from Indiana University (2008), a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania (2004), and a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (2003). She currently lives and works in Providence, RI.