ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Art is a reflection of the world that surrounds creators.
What You Need To Know
Sometimes Shelly Steck-Reale comes face to face with ideas out of alignment with her family values.
The ceramist just completed an artist-in-residency at the Duncan McClellan Gallery.
She is now mixing the glass medium into her sculpting repertoire at her St. Pete studio.
Back in 2023, Florida legislators attempted to ban college courses like Women’s Studies — it was too much for the University of Florida Philosophy Major.
“I had to take Women’s History, I had to take Women in Philosophy, I had to take Women’s Studies,” she said. “And I realized the contributions that women made to history,” said Steck-Reale. “To think that that was on the chopping block because it was considered too woke to be really worthy of study bothered me as a woman.”
An art piece from Shelly Steck-Reale in her exhibit “Banned: And Still I Rise,” at the Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport. The exhibit honors Women’s History Month. (Spectrum News)
Add to that Florida’s record as a national leader in book banning, and the art begins to imitate reality.
Steck-Reale’s ceramic pieces, on display at the Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport, depict a diverse group of women sitting atop stacks of banned books.
It’s titled “Banned: And Still I Rise.”
“But it’s not just about banning books, it’s about silencing communities,” said Steck-Reale.
Marginalized communities she grew up supporting — thanks to her mom.
“My mom would take us out, and my siblings, little toddlers and her barefoot feet out protesting ‘Equal Rights,’ ‘ERA Now,’” she said.
This is who Steck-Reale sees in this work.
An art piece from Shelly Steck-Reale in her exhibit “Banned: And Still I Rise,” at the Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport. The exhibit honors Women’s History Month. (Spectrum News)
“Watching how much she wanted to change the world and make the world a better place for her children,” said Steck-Reale. “I find myself doing the same thing. My children are grown, and I have a grandchild on the way. And I think I just want the world to be kind-kind to him.”
A reflection of family values in the fight for personal freedoms.
You can enjoy ‘Banned: And Still I Rise’ at the Brenda McMahon Gallery through the end of March.
