A Matter of Taste
2003 - Present
For the past twenty years, particularly in Design Classes, I have given students a gender survey as an
in class assignment, to demonstrate to them that we tend to choose images or create images which
correspond to psychological sex preferences. I have been using a survey developed in 1949 by
husband and wife psychologists, Kate Frank and Ephrim Rosen. They state that males and females
tend to choose or create images corresponding to their body image as well as their identity in terms
of gender roles and potentialities. It also corresponds to the degree in which an individual accepts
or embraces gender roles in both conscious and unconscious states. I have found that my statistics
show that the majority of college art students tend to chose or create images which have both gender
characteristics, but while male students will cross over and choose stereotypical female imaging,
female students rarely cross over and choose stereotypical male imaging.
This series of 30 paintings consists of 10 sets of 3 images containing one male image, one female
image and one containing both gender preferences. During the exhibit opening and at other
intervals, say once a week. The exhibition audience will be asked to participate by voting with color
chips on the painting they like best in each of the 10 sets. At the end of the exhibit explanations of
gender preferences will be given and totals for each piece will be given by gender. In this work I
hope to sensitize people as to the subtle preferences which dictate taste in visual art.
