ARTS&LIFE
DESIGN

44 | SEPTEMBER 1 • 2022

Laura Earle is bringing women artists to the
forefront of September’s Detroit Month of Design.

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A

“I understand the world better if I make artwork out
of it,
” says Earle, a Farmington Hills resident who has
degrees in furniture, interior,
industrial and visual commu-
nication design. “When I work
with a large group, I love to see
artists pushing their boundaries,
working in different mediums
and stretching themselves to
move in different directions.
”
September’s Detroit Month of
Design puts Earle at the forefront
of exposing gender disparity with
a monumental art performance
piece called the FET!SH Project.
As curator of the project, Earle brought together 14 local
artists to join her in creating one-of-a-kind, art-to-wear
pieces. Earle and her artist collaborators will model the
pieces in a choreographed, immersive fashion show
during two special Detroit Month of Design events on
Sept.1 and 15. In addition, there is an Artists Reception
set for Sept. 18 at the Andy Art Center in Detroit. Works
from the FET!SH Project will also be on display at the
Andy Art Center throughout September.

“The artworks in the FET!SH Project address every-
thing from the inner struggles of women trying to
make it in a man’s world to the environmental impact of
sexism on a global scale in combatting climate change,
”
Earle said. “We feature real women at all stages of life
contributing to this vital conversation about the experi-
ence of being female in a society shaped by misogynis-
tic media.
”

THE IDEA BEHIND THE
FET!SH PROJECT
The conversation first started with Jane Cunningham’s
and Philippa Roberts’ book, Brandsplaining: Why
Marketing is Still Sexist and How to Fix It, which came
out in June 2021. As global researchers of advertising
and marketing, Cunningham and Roberts took an
in-depth look at how women are portrayed and misrep-
resented in the media.
“The FET!SH Project is an artistic intervention. It
was created to engage with new viewership and call
attention to the sexist imbalance of power upheld
and perpetuated by mass media. It also spotlights the
harm that this marketing messaging perpetuates for
our people and our planet,” said Earle, who has creat-

It Takes a

Laura Earle is the
creator and
curator of the
FET!SH Project
at Detroit Month
of Design in
September.

s a self-professed lifelong learner, Laura Earle’s art practice is nurtured by
community building and shaping culture. Having lived all over the world
— a perk of being the daughter of a successful industrial engineer father
— Earle has amassed experiences and relationships that have enhanced her
career as an artist, curator, writer and social activist.