Review of  The Apron Show

by Julie-Anna Falconer,

The Queen’s Journal , March  26, 1982

at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, in the dining room of the adjoining Etherington house, at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON

Cutting the strings of domestic drudgery

The Apron Show is Mary Rawlyk’s second exhibit at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. The prints, combining graphic and photographic art, of Mary Rawlyk serve a dual purpose. They are a clever juxtaposition of forms combined with a clear statement.

At first glance the exhibit appears to be just more art work in a pop or surrealistic vein. As the title indicates, aprons are the central image for all the works. The image of the apron is combined with photographs of hands in some or the Canadian flag in another.

Yet once one gets past the “neat” side of her work the message begins to sink in. There are only nine works in the exhibit In this small framework, Mary Rawlyk is able to make a powerful statement. Yes, it is another women’s issue declaration. But the message is not screamed at you in the style of a Gloria Steinem. Rather, it slowly, but deeply penetrates.

It is a statement about women and their roles as house-wives. Significantly these fleshy red and white images are located in the dining room of the old house. Aesthetically the combination of  dark wood furniture and the prints is very pleasing. Yet more symbolically, the Dining room is where these aprons would be “displayed”,wrapped around the waist of the hostess.

Mary Rawlyk is not a politician speaking from a soap box, nor some affected intellectual making broad casual statements. She is the wife of the head of the history department at Queen’s and the mother of two teenage girls. As the catalogue points out she has been doing housework for over twenty years.

The best and final word on these works ultimately comes from the artist herself.“The feelings that are represented in these images are universal – wherever women encounter restrictions which are imposed upon their development because they are women.”