Currently, this drawing is in the permanent collection of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University Bloomington, IN.
One of 40 drawings I made for my thesis exhibition, the focus of each of the images was to subvert or disentangle the meaning of a particular story, fairy tale, or cultural mythology. In this case, I decided to have some fun with the reputation of a rather sacred cow and suggest that behind the scenes, all closed boys’ clubs are the same. Onscreen, the rodent and his chums are decidedly a-sexual so as to appear non-threatening but the franchise’s history of misogynistic and cultural stereotyping suggests a darker underbelly to the magical empire.
The girl (I named her Red) is a consistent thread running through many of the thesis images. Here, she’s leaving the building through the rear exit into a rather trashy space where lewd remarks and bad behavior would meet no accountability. There’s not much else she can do but cast a cautious glance behind her and keep moving.
The installation of “Fables” my MFA thesis work at MICA, 2010. The character, Red, is seen moving through many of the panels, meeting various activators of her non-linear story, gaining skills and powers along the way.