Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Mary Claire Page

Virgin Mary

Unpacking their relationship to sex, gender roles, catholic guilt, and the significance of a name.

“Growing up as a queer person, Page experienced many kinds of pressure to conform to a rigid kind of femininity, and to perform what was expected of a woman. Whether sexual, romantic, domestic, or social, Page rejected these expectations, however there is the remaining ties to these biblical characters in the Bible named Mary. Mary is associated with both the Virgin and the Whore, the saint and the sinner, and there is no in-between. This piece was created in response to this unwanted association. ”