I Made Space for a Good Man
Date2009
MediumOffset lithograph
DimensionsImage: 14 7/8 × 29 1/2 inches (37.8 × 74.9 cm)
Sheet: 14 7/8 × 29 1/2 inches (37.8 × 74.9 cm)
Matted: 32 × 40 inches (81.3 × 101.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase in honor of Courtney McNeil with Telfair Museum of Art acquisitions endowment funds.
Object number2021.7.12
Copyright© Deborah Willis.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextFashioned as a narrative triptych reminiscent of a film strip, this self-portrait revisits an event from the artist’s past. When Willis was an undergraduate at the Philadelphia College of Art in the 1970s, a male professor chastised her for “taking up a good man’s space,” predicting that she would “get married, get pregnant, have a baby.” She recalled:
"And of course what happened? When I graduated, I got pregnant. ( ... ) Recently, my son found a contact sheet with photographs of my pregnant belly and he said, “Mom, you never printed these.” ( ... ) What I realized in terms of flipping the script, was that I made space for a good man, by having my son, who is a photographer. Flipping that into positive energy and still creating work."
The first two images—featuring Willis with her eyes cast down toward her swollen belly—paint a solemn and demure portrait of pregnancy and motherhood. The final vignette subverts this portrayal by depicting the artist in the nude, her assertive pose emphasized by her direct gaze, aimed coolly at the viewer.
Text written for 'Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop' on view February 4 - May 1, 2022.
