The Women’s Room
Location: Atrium Women’s Room
Massachusetts artist Cynthia Consentino was selected to create the
first new artist-designed washroom for the Arts Center since 1999.
Consentino worked seven days a week from June through December of 2004
with the help of two interns, four volunteers, and numerous Kohler Co.
associates. The Women’s Room opened to the public in June 2005. Loved at once for its buoyant colors and dazzling hand-painted imagery, The Women’s Room
addresses issues of identity, reflecting the artist’s own affection and
aversion towards what our society has defined as female.
Consentino created over 30 original sculptural reliefs of female body
types, animal figures, objects and accessories, and plants. These were
used to create molds from which Consentino cast hundreds of individual
tiles that she then hand-painted. Consentino arranged the tiles in
various combinations to create cohesive bodies—both recognizable female
figures and fantastical forms. The figures, which can be read as “pure
play,” also suggest the many roles of women in society, with references
to fairy tales, myths, and cultural slang.
Other elements of the room include over 120 glaze paintings of hats and
shoes, hand-painted sinks and toilets, and tiles lining the interior of
the bathroom stalls. Painted in a colorful, light, and expressive
manner, the stall areas depict a near categorical display of women’s
undergarments and accessories including undergarments, stockings, hair
combs, jewelry, and handbags. Both playful and exploratory,
Consentino’s work reminds us of the plentitude from which we can choose
to craft our identities—presented openly, lovingly, and inclusively.
Artist(s)
Cynthia Consentino
Related Programs
Arts/Industry program
Funding/Sponsor
Arts/Industry is made possible by Kohler Co.
Terms Of Use
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