“I had no idea how passionate the women are about their art and how creative each artist is. The apron will serve as a cape to deal with it all,” said creator of Apronistas, Violeta Chinni.
A reception for “Hidden Pockets: The Apronistas Inaugural Art Exhibit”, took place on Sunday afternoon at the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library. The Apronistas was created in the fall 2012 and it is an online community that encourages conversation of knowledge and experience through women.
“I wanted to do this years ago and when social media began booming, I knew this was the time to give it a try. I wanted to use the term “Apronistas” because I wanted to bring the apron back in a positive light. For a while, they were viewed negatively, but we want to view them as our cape,” said Chinni.
Apronista Stephanie Uhde, developed the idea for the collaborative art exhibit. “Stephanie came up with the idea for the show because we wanted to highlight each artist’s special creativity. Today, we have nine ladies that are showing off their pieces,” said Chinni.
Kim Rogers, an Apronista, was one of the artists at the exhibit. Hers was a creative non-fiction piece as well as a digital art piece. “The Wicked Ways of Stepmothers” non-fiction piece, discussed being a stepmom and what is associated with the title.
“I moved to Mansfield from St. Louis and started writing about being a stepmom because I have two stepsons. It is a representation of the stepmother in Snow White, Grimm version, wearing iron shoes,” said Rodgers.
This was the first exhibit that Rogers has participated in. The title of her digital art piece was “She had to step into the red-hot shoes and dance and dance until she fell down dead.”
Apronista Alyssa Woodard, put her own unique touch to her collection of leather cuffs. “All of the cuffs that I make are made from leather belts. I like the vintage look and I travel to thrift shops and markets to find the belts. My friends also donate belts, too. They are all one of a kind, I never make the same cuff twice,” said Woodard. “I have been making jewelry since I was a little girl and I just loved the idea of making special cuffs,” said Woodard.
Woodard makes cuffs for men, women, and children. She sells her one of kind creations online at www.AlynneDesigns.com.
Stephanie Uhde, had her special creations of clay/ceramics and mixed media on display for spectators. “I have been working with clay since high school. I do mainly hand building with clay/ceramics,” said Uhde. This is the first exhibit that Uhde has had her artwork on display. “I have displayed photographs at exhibits, but this is the first time I have had my artwork on display,” said Uhde.
Uhde’s mixed media piece added a personal touch. “The heart is made out of a steel metal and the pictures that are within the heart are from the various places that I have traveled over the years. I love traveling and this is just a small representation of where I have been,” said Uhde. She has traveled to over 36 states throughout the United States. The clay/ceramics piece is titled “Flower Study” and the mixed media piece is titled, “My Drifting Heart”.
Along with the various artworks on display at the exhibit, there was a special piece created by all of the Apronistas. “Tracy Graziani came up with the idea of the collaborative art piece,” said Chinni. “I thought it would be a good idea for all of us to join together and work on one piece that highlighted our own artistic touch. We will donate whatever the piece is auctioned off for towards the library because they have been so generous to us,” said Graziani.
