'Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work' in UC Clermont Gallery thru July 8

In 1965, when artist Carol Larson was 17 years old 78.5 inches long (6’5”), she was surgically shortened 6 inches with the intention of giving her a “normal” life. Additionally, she was forbidden by her parents from discussing it. By middle age, Larson found her voice through a four-year art project which became known as the “Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work.”

UC Clermont College presents “Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work” in the Park National Bank Art Gallery located on the Batavia Campus through July 8.

“My intention for the series was not one of laying blame but of understanding, grieving and acceptance of the debilitation brought on by these surgeries. This series highlights the 40+ years since the three surgeries that broke my body, nearly crushed my spirit and forever changed my life. This is a story of courage, healing and acceptance,” according to Larson who is from Sonoma, California.

Completion of the “Tall Girl Series: A Body of Work” resulted in a self-published book, a PowerPoint presentation and a traveling exhibit of 15-23 textile art pieces.
 
Larson’s award-winning work is in the corporate collections of The James Irvine Foundation in San Francisco; Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif., and The John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, Calif., as well as in several private collections in the US and abroad.  Additionally, her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries world-wide.
 
The UC Clermont Art Gallery is sponsored by Park National Bank and is located in the Snyder building on the UC Clermont College campus in Batavia at 4200 Clermont College Drive. Summer gallery hours are Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. –  4 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public.