Dramatic dresses float beneath a skylight while dramatic portraits challenge the viewer in two exhibitions newly opened at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.
For the next two years, the museum’s sunlit atrium will be the home for eight works from New York artist E.V. Day’s “Divas Ascending,” in which she took costumes from the wardrobe of the New York City Opera and turned them into sculptures that evoke the iconic roles for women that they were tailor-made for.
These dresses hang suspended from monofilament wires, accompanied by objects that further suggest the characters they represent. For example, “Carmen,” inspired by the tragic heroine from French composer Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name, comes with roses and a prop knife.
If this show rings any bells in the minds of local art aficionados with long memories, it’s because Day and her dresses came to Roanoke College in 2015 for a show in Olin Hall Galleries. The literally lofty Taubman display includes more of the dresses than the Olin Hall exhibition, though still not the full 13.
I have a confession: When I traveled to Manhattan in 2009 as a recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to take part in the Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera, I saw the original “Divas Ascending” show at the New York City Opera, and it’s a personal favorite of mine, so I’m glad the valley gets another chance to experience it.
A new exhibit hangs in the Taubman Museum of Art atrium with repurposed costumes from the New York City Opera. Artist E.V. Day’s “Divas Ascending” includes sculptures representing iconic women from well-known operas.
Photos, Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
A repurposed New York City Opera costume from the tragic opera “Carmen,” by Georges Bizet, depicted the character Carmen in a new instillation at the Taubman Museum of Art. The sculptures by artist E.V. Day are from a series titled “Divas Ascending” that evoke iconic women from well-known operas.
Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
A repurposed New York City Opera costume from the opera “Cinderella” depicts both peasant and princess. The sculptures by artist E.V. Day, part of a new instillation at the Taubman Museum of Art, are from a series titled “Divas Ascending.”
Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
A detail from the sculpture “Merry Widow” by artist E.V. Day from the series “Divas Ascending” at the Taubman Museum of Art.
Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
A repurposed New York City Opera costume from “The Merry Widow” by composer Franz Lehár is pictured among other sculptures in the new instillation at the Taubman Museum of Art. The sculptures by artist E.V. Day are from a series titled “Divas Ascending” that evoke iconic, empowered women from well-known operas.
Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times
A new exhibit hangs in the Taubman Museum of Art atrium, featuring repurposed costumes from the New York City Opera by artist E.V. Day. The series “Divas Ascending” includes sculptures representing iconic women from well-known operas.
Heather Rousseau, The Roanoke Times