Confession: Ever since I was an 8-year-old boy trying on my grandmother’s vintage dresses, I’ve always been more than a little obsessed with frocks. Imagine, then, my pure youthful elation when I happened into Mariposa Gallery (3500 Central SE) this week and discovered the gallery’s east wall enshrined in more than 140 miniature tin dress sculptures. I think my heart literally skipped a beat.For me, Marcia Sednek’s Happy Frocking 2014 show, open now through Jan. 31, is jam-packed with unadulterated fun. Half the joy of viewing each of the tiny dresses, which are all made out of found objects, is guessing what the items were before manipulation. Using recycled materials—like antique cookie tins, colorful paperclips, and even a rusty ol’ cheese grater—Sednek twists and bends each forgotten and worn object into a new and wonderful piece of art. You don’t have to be a child to appreciate the intricate detail that goes into transforming each piece. From the miniature roses on one work to the whimsical circus animals adorning another, no two dresses are even remotely similar. Sednek tells me that what she enjoys most about being a mixed media artist is uncovering the beautiful in the ugly. Like a sleuth on the hunt for clues, Sednek scours local flea markets, yard sales, and second-hand shops for just the right ingredients for her collection. Then Sednek dons her own magician hat and skillfully alters them into fresh and beaming creations. While viewing the resulting Happy Frocking 2014 collection, it’s difficult not to slip on your own magical glass slipper and be transported to a posh ball full of haute couture gowns. And, after all, isn’t that really the point of art? To uplift us from our daily drudgery and transport us somewhere magical? Sednek’s show does just that—and you’d be a fool not to experience the childlike wonder for yourself.
All The Pretty Dresses: Marcia Sednek’s Tin Fashions
2 min read
Sednek scours local flea markets, yard sales, and secondhand shops for the right ingredients.
