The Un-limited Figure: Creating an Afterlife for Retail Mannequins

Artists Lorie Amick and LaDonna Vohar were honored and excited about the opportunity to have an exhibit at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. After the initial excitement subsided, the quandary of a theme for the show set in. After tossing around a number of ideas the solution presented itself at the Tippecanoe Mall. The Limited was going out of business and all of their mannequins were for sale.  They decided that these mannequins were the perfect starting point.

“While we began with typical female mannequins they have been altered and transformed into fine art sculpture. We have cut, drilled, sanded, added, taken away, and relocated parts. We have used them as molds to form partial figures. We have used copper, Styrofoam, wax, fabric, Venetian plaster, Epoxy clays and many other materials.The final results will be an exhibit of new creations. Some we will wall mount, some will be on pedestals, some free standing, and even a few that have been designed to be outdoor sculptures.Retail stores are at the crossroads of change and are having to reinvent themselves to remain relevant. These art pieces have been reinvented and therefore are relevant.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.