A woman with tattoos, an apron, and alabaster skin that makes her appear as if she is fading away is serving a gelatin salad—topped with sweet peas—to her family in their 1950’s kitchen. Paper doll tabs jet from her sides as her happy family eagerly awaits their meal. Anachronistic product placement is scattered throughout the scene along with superimposed images pulled from vintage magazines.

Artist Darlene Kaczmarczyk makes photographs that speak to the artifice of mid-20th century domestic life while also commenting on the confined and decorative role of post-war women.

Kaczmarczyk’s show, Selling Mrs. America: A Retrospective of Photographic Prints, has been on display in the Walker Gallery since August 21. Today, Ms. Kaczmarczyk visited the department to meet with students, faculty, and the public to discuss her work and the concepts behind her photographs. Topics included her symbolism using non-functional, decorative aprons indicative of the 1950s; her use of color; and the process of digitally manipulating her images within her Out of the Picture series.

See more work by Darlene Kaczmarczyk by visiting her website at: http://www.darlenekphoto.com.