When Lacy Davis was looking through a notebook she inherited after her grandma died, she found a note dedicated to her mom that read: “For I am her, and you are me, and she is you, and as long as that continues, I am.”
For about 15 years now, Davis’s photography and art have focused on experiences surrounding family, relationships and womanhood. Originally from Waverly, Ohio, Davis is now finishing up her final year as a graduate student at Ohio University studying fine arts with a focus in photo and integrated media. She has also completed the coursework for a master’s in art administration.
Although she is fairly busy working toward earning two master’s degrees, Davis’ work can still be found in exhibits such as the Women of Appalachia Project, or WOAP, at the Dairy Barn Arts Center. The Women of Appalachia Project is a fine art organization committed to showcasing artwork made by Appalachian women. The exhibit can be viewed from Jan. 13 to March 19 at the Dairy Barn, 800 Dairy Lane, according to a previous Post article.
Davis has participated in four WOAP exhibitions, and she said she always enjoys getting to meet fellow artists whose work is also on display. As a ninth-generation Appalachian, Davis is deeply connected to the project and has developed a wonderful relationship with the executive director of WOAP, Kari Gunter-Seymour.
“I just happened to see something about (WOAP) online and I applied and I was accepted,” said Davis. “(Gunter-Seymour) is really super wonderful and encouraging and I’m just really super thankful to have gotten to know her through the project.”
It was difficult for Davis to decide what to keep of the belongings her grandma left behind, which she said was the basis of the inspiration behind her work. The choices Davis has had to make led her to the themes she centers her current workaround. Davis said these themes are also about “generational cycles and repeating patterns and how you honor people after they’re gone.”
The note Davis found in her grandma’s notebook has placed pressure on her to continue furthering generations of her family. As a 36-year-old woman with no children, Davis has contemplated what her family hopes of her.
“I kind of struggle with my choices and honoring my family and their expectations of me,” said Davis.
For her photos and art, Davis uses the photographs and documents she inherited from her grandma. The notebook Davis found had her grandma’s writings from the 1960s and ones from when she started writing in it again toward the end of her life.
“I typically work in a photo type medium,” Davis said. “I often use archival images so they’re not necessarily images that I’ve produced myself, but they’re images that I’ve sourced from a collection of family photographs. Then I either manipulate them digitally or I will pair them with objects to create a new meaning.”
The piece Davis has on display at the WOAP exhibit is called “Big Shoes to Fill” and draws on themes such as domestic labor, womanhood, motherhood and sexuality, according to the artwork label. Although Davis may explore different subjects in the future, her current work is reflective of how people connect with one another, such as members of a family, and also the world.
“My grandmother was born in West Virginia, and there’s a family farm we’ve all lived on so we live in Waverly now but you know … Appalachian families tend to interact differently and have different expectations,” Davis said. “It’s really about closeness and your family and I think that that plays into my work in general. The idea of being caught between two worlds.”
