Visual artist Natasha Powell Walker was struck by the dichotomy required of her as a woman in corporate America: at work she had to be cutthroat and self-promotional, while her friends and family expected her to be loving and nurturing as soon as she left the office.
The struggle to deal with these conflicting expectations led Powell Walker to create a series of paintings that represent the many characters women embody and the multitude of faces they present to the world. Powell Walker’s work will be on display in the Friedl Gallery on Duke’s East Campus in a new exhibit beginning Jan.18.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Powell Walker about her art, how it resonates at this moment of greater societal reckoning with how women are perceived and treated in the workplace, and a public conversation she is moderating on Jan. 18 with Patrick Douthit, aka 9th Wonder, about his own art and path to national success. She gives an artist's talk about the exhibit at the Friedl Gallery on Jan. 25.
