‘We the Women’ exhibit highlights female empowerment
MFA photography student Alex Moral addresses the audience at the opening reception of her exhibit, "We the Women"
In September 2018, Radford University MFA photography student Alex Moral debuted her first solo exhibition at the Andrew W. Ross Student Art Gallery on the 3rd floor of McConnell Library. The free exhibit, focusing on the empowerment of women, is on display through October 24, 2018. The subject matter highlights inspiring women who contribute to society and represent strength. “Through this series of portraits, I endeavor to capture female empowerment in different forms, embracing diversity and celebrating womanhood to inspire others,” said Moral.
Her exhibit features ten portraits from the series. Each image features stories and anecdotes about women overcoming obstacles and inspiring others to be strong through difficult times. For instance, in the portrait, “We are Warriors,” her subject is a female artist who paints images of powerful historical women. In another portrait titled “We are Unique,” Moral showcases a young woman wearing a bone accessory in her hair. Her subject had suffered from an identity crisis and felt frustrated by the judgement of others concerning her clothing and attire. She decided to wear a bone accessory as a statement that women can wear whatever they want and should not have to worry about the judgement of others.
Moral originally studied economics and worked in marketing for years. When her daughter was born, she decided that if she wanted to inspire her daughter to follow her dreams, she would first need to set an example through her own career path. Having always felt a creative fire for photography, she left her job to pursue studies within the field. As she developed her craft, she became motivated by photographing female subjects and learning about their emotions. “I fell in love with photography and I find the connection with my subjects to be very important to my art,” says Moral. “This is what I enjoy about photography.”
For most of her photography education at Radford University, Moral studied under Professor Andrew W. Ross, who left the university in spring of 2018 due to medical reasons. Moral says that his passion and respect for the art, along with his unlimited support, were inspiring to her. “He was always very involved in the community to promote art,” she says. In September of 2018, Moral was among the first recipients of the recently announced Andrew W. Ross Endowed Photography Scholarship in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Students receiving the financial award are selected via a committee and must have an overall GPA of over 3.0 and be in good academic standing, among other requirements.
Alex Moral’s photography exhibit will be on display through October 24, 2018 at the Andrew W. Ross Art Gallery on the 3rd floor of McConnell Library. Admission is free.