Multidisciplinary artist Judy Chicago exhibits “The Toby Heads” at Lew Allen

Judy Chicago, Toby Mug 7, 2010. Gilding on cast glass. H 10 1/2, W 10 1/2, D 10 1/2 in. courtesy: lew allen contemporary, santa fe

Just opened at LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last Friday, June 18^th, an exhibition of the work of feminist icon Judy Chicago entitled “The Toby Heads” continues her four-decade-long career of creating artworks that challenge convention. In this case, it is the form of the sculptural bust that is examined and claimed for a mysterious female figure named “Toby,” no doubt a reference to the 18th-century ceramic drinking vessel known as the Toby Jug and depicting the head of full body of Toby Fillpot who was often sung about in tavern songs.

Judy Chicago, Two-Faced Toby Mug #12, 2010. Multi-fired china paint on porcelain. H 10 1/2, W 10 1/2, D 10 1/2 in. courtesy: lew allen contemporary, santa fe

Like a song with many verses, Chicago’s “Toby” series comes in many varieties — the same female visage is depicted in a double-faced mug, appropriately titled Two-Faced Toby Mug #12 (2010), and is often presented in an entirely non-functional manner of the traditional bust, though cast in glass and enameled or gilded.

Chicago is a multi-discplinary artist whose work spans the art, literature, activism, and academic fields, She has spent most of her life developing trades and skills that aren’t typically “feminine” in nature, and that’s exactly why she practices them. As an artist her works range from glass to bronze and practically everything in between, and this broad spectrum of media only progresses further her beliefs on living in, learning from, and loving the world around us.

The Lew Allen exhibition, which continues through July 25^th, incorporates the multitude of human emotions that can be derived from one particular image. All of the pieces in the exhibit resulted from a single model, Toby Shor, and have been characterized as a representation of “universal humanity.” Those who attend the exhibit will observe many mediums that Chicago has mastered, including: China-painted porcelain, glass, and bronze.

—Sage Vega