Dress Codes | Erica Spitzer Rasmussen

Artist Talk by Erica Spitzer Rasmussen: Wednesday, April 24, 6:30pm. Free and open to the public. For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations, please contact nmwatson@stkate.edu by April 17. 

In Dress Codes, Minnesota book artist and sculptor Erica Spitzer Rasmussen creates handmade paper garments to reflect upon the childhood myths and adult anxieties about her body. Her use of paper suggests the fragility of human skin; her forms—tinged with humor and deeply rooted in personal, yet relatable, narratives—invite the viewer to participate in her stories of identity and belonging. The artist explains: “I sometimes find body-stories or body-experiences to be simultaneously comical and horrifying. It is often these extremes in emotional reactions that drive me to produce the work, in an attempt to better comprehend each situation … I use clothing as subject matter because it provides me a ground on which to investigate identity and corporeality. My garments are metaphors. They can encompass narrative qualities, illustrate and dissolve bodily fears, or act as talismanic devices.” 

Presented alongside: Terabithia: 2024 Student Creative Showcase

Gallery Hours:

M-W 8-8

Th 8-5

F 8-6

S-S noon-6 

Images:

Right - Erica Spitzer-Rasmussen, Dream Sequence, 2022, Mixed media with handmade paper (cotton fibers, tissue paper, acrylic paint, Elmer’s Glue and Liquid Nails), 28” x 6 ¼” x 28”

Left - Erica Spitzer-Rasmussen, Red Tape Cape, 2022, Mixed media with commercial paper (tape, paperwork, cotton thread, and a secret note, 46”h x 28”w x 20”d