Amanda Ladyman explores workers rights in Install It piece

Amanda Ladymon uses the human figure in her The Mill Struggle:
Unraveling the Southern Strategy  

This work addresses the emotional and physical aspects of struggle through the human figure and textiles. African-American and white women of the Carolinas fought restrictions barring African-Americans from working in textile mills. South Carolina was once a major center for textile production and indigo, used to dye blue jeans, was the first cash crop for the state. The blue jeans were all acquired in West Columbia where the majority of The Columbia Mill workers lived. The fabric symbolizes that connection with this historic time in the South.

Amanda Ladymon has exhibited at 701 Whaley and in Contemporaries Artist of the Year at the Columbia Museum of Art. She holds an MFA from USC, teaches at USC, Columbia College and Ladybug Studios and is exhibition coordinator for S & S Art Supply.