Lily Smith Studio

Lily Smith

exhibitions

work

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work

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bio

Lily Smith is currently an undergrad student at University of Wisconsin-Stout working towards a BFA in studio art with a concentration in painting. She was raised and has always lived in rural Wisconsin.
Lily is currently an artist in residence through the Bud and Betty Micheels Student Artist in Residence Program and has an upcoming solo show, 'affirmations' in Gallery 209 of UW Stout.

statement

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statement

What does it mean to be a woman? Who decides? It is important to me to focus on what it means to participate in womanhood, and what comes with being ‘feminine’, especially under the guise of a corporatized society. Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex categorizes women as ‘the other’ and men as ‘the default’. This implies femininity and womanhood is learned and not born with, therefore lacking essence, or an ‘eternal feminine’. The act of presenting feminine has always felt grotesque and unnatural to me. It’s important to me to show a niche, maybe ugly, perverted, and unidealized version of female identity. Being a woman is otherwise complex and is much more than a physicality. My work explores these matters.I had a ‘traditional’ upbringing, in which I was raised with emphasis on my womanhood over personhood. Traditional implications of womanhood are performative in nature and work to enforce restrictive gender and societal norms. Even with the modern day multiplicities of feminism, we are still left with hollow, corporatized version of a woman, based in materialism and consumption. Due to the strain placed on learned roles from childhood, women are often faced with, and fall victim to, extreme imagery such as pornography, advertisements, and social media with expectations that shrink the image of a woman.Mimicking these images, I paint stereotypes of femininity and how it relates to my own identity. I am particularly drawn to the ‘performance’ and campy nature of feminine expectations influenced by drag and gender performance. I paint the feminine figure as a character that belongs to a particular world, not an object, nor accessory. I work to recontextualize our idea of empowerment with customized, uncanny, and siren-like characters, serving as a means of displacement from a corporatized, dissociative, or ‘girl-boss’ feminism.

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cv

Education
2021-Present BFA Studio Art-Painting, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wi
2021-Present UW Stout Deans List Academic AchievementSelected Exhibitions
2025 (upcoming), the armpit Como, invite only, Minneapolis, mn
(upcoming) affirmations, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
(upcoming) goodbye horses, Student Artists in Residency Exhibition, Furlong Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2024 get whacked, gallery 209, university of Wisconsin-stout, Menomonie, wi
out of balance, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
and then i woke up, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Practice of Art Juried Show, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
to be a body, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2023 Still, Gallery 209, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Spring Juried Exhibition, Furlong Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie WI
2021 Pride at Chestnut, Chestnut Center for the Arts, Invite Only, Marshfield, WI
2020 Just Justice, Colombia Park, Invite Only, Marshfield, WIrelevant experience and collectives
2025 Painting 1 Tutor/Teacher’s Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2022-2024 Furlong and Student Galleries, Gallery Assistant/Social Media Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2024 Night-School Art Collective, Member, Menomonie, WI
2022-Present Fine Arts Association, Member, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WIAwards
2025 outstanding student research award nominee, university of wisconsin-stout, menomonie, wi
2024-2025 Student Artist in Residence and Grant, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2024 Mikes art and design supply stipend winner, Menomonie, WiPublications
2025 Arch, senior seminar publication, university of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
2023 New Stoutonian Paintings Portrait and Narrative Edition, Stoutonia, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI