STEPHANIE ALANIZ
MAY 5-26, 2023
Main Gallery
COZY
“My Fat Quilts series is a love letter to my fellow fatties. In a society that refuses to value us, I want to take this platform and give us a voice to speak and challenge the norm that has been present for the entirety of our lives and beyond. Existing in a larger body in an anti-fat society is incredibly difficult, people are cruel and hurtful and often treat fat people as if they are the lowest form of life. The use of the word “fat” has been taken back by the fat activist community as a descriptor rather than a negative. This work’s intention is to challenge the social norms while deconstructing how we see fat bodies so that we can reconstruct our views through a lens of radical kindness, empathy, and understanding. These large scale quilts feature relief prints on fabric that are then appliquéd to larger quilt tops and assembled quilts.” — Stephanie Alaniz
About the Artist
Stephanie Alaniz (they/them) was born and raised in South Texas. They received their Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2016 from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with an emphasis in Printmaking. They then went on to receive their Master of Fine Arts from West Virginia University in 2019. Stephanie’s current work focuses on normalizing insecurities, challenging anti-fat bias, discussing mental health issues, and the intersection of all of these topics. Through printmaking, textiles, drawing, and sculpture they are able to create work about these topics with the hope of inviting the viewer in to reflect on themself and how these topics influence the world around us. They are currently on the board of Radical Intersectional Print Guild and have been since its conception in 2020. Stephanie currently lives in Emporia, Kansas where they teach art at Emporia State University and teach courses at the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, Kansas.