Jenna Lou is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses oil painting and performance videography. Raised in the Driftless Region of Iowa, she maintains a profound reverence for the area’s distinctive topography. She earned her BFA from the University of Northern Iowa in 2023 and currently contributes to the Cedar Rapids community through art-related programming. Lou produces her work in a greenhouse adjoining her home, where she engages with themes of girlhood, Midwest nostalgia, and the natural environment. Her art-making draws upon family photographs and videos, investigating how she was socialized to perform femininity. Like learning to ride a bicycle, femininity is portrayed as a learned practice. Both imparted by her family and personally embraced. Through painting self-portraits inspired by archival photographs, re-editing family footage, and performing in public spaces, Lou interrogates the tension between societal expectations and individual autonomy, revealing the nuanced interplay of choice, memory, and identity.
Date and Time
Tuesday May 5, 2026 Saturday Jul 11, 2026
Open Tuesdays - Saturdays 10AM - 4PM On View in the Stanton Gallery through July 11th, 2026
Location
Clear Lake Arts Center 17 S 4th St Clear Lake, Iowa 50428
Fees/Admission
Free and open to the public.
Contact Information
Faith Lawler
Gallery Manager
641-357-1998
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