Raue Center's Artful Women to Welcome Amy Ortiz in 'THE BODY AS CANVAS'

Raue Center's Artful Women is excited to welcome visual arts scholar Amy Ortiz with "The Body as Canvas: Manipulations of the Female Form" at 3 p.m. on May 22, 2016.

"I have been interested in fashion since I was a little girl," admits Dr. Amy Ortiz, "not just fashion as clothing, but fashion as a statement." What is considered beautiful by society changes, often rapidly and with dramatic consequences. Join visual and conceptual arts scholar, Dr. Amy Ortiz, to discuss the female body as the canvas on which these forces converge and are made visible.

Travel through time and explore fashion's effects on the female form beginning with the middle ages and ending with fashion trends of the 21st century (including gender, race, and the subversion of cultural "norms"). From corsets to high heels, halters to belly-button rings and everything in between, "we will compare time periods and trends as we go," invites Ortiz, "all the while asking if things have changed, or are they just re-visitations of the past?"

Ortiz is currently Chair of the Art Department at McHenry County College, and received her Doctorate in Art History and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2010. Dr. Ortiz earned an MA in Contemporary Art History, Theory and Criticism, and a BFA in Studio Art from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake.

Raue Center's Artful Women series was founded in 2013 by Rebecca Heisler at the suggestion of Raue Center executive director Richard Kuranda. Regina Belt-Daniels serves as committee chair. Committee Members include women of all ages and walks of life with a passion for the arts. Artful Women is dedicated to exploring current issues in a format that will enrich, inspire, educate, and entertain the community. Artful Women is proudly sponsored by the Northwest Herald.

Raue Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 14 years, they have provided quality programming - striving to make it pertinent, available and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor-Lucile Raue-Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic, downtown Crystal Lake, is a gathering place for our region's citizens and has become a true destination.

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