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.