Project helps girls explore identity through art forms

Senior Ashley Flora needed a project that combined art and community service for her minor in Leadership, Ethics and Social Action. She came up with “Does the Shoe Fit?,” a program focused on helping young girls find their identity through self-portraiture.

“It’s a self-portrait art workshop talking about self-image,” Flora said. “We use it as a tool for the girls to explore their identity.”

The artistic sessions included a traditional representative self-portrait by each girl of her face and symbols that the girls felt said something about them, Flora said. They then moved to symbolic paintings on shoes.

“The purpose is to give girls a chance to use art mediums that maybe they’ve never used before to explore issues of identity,” said Rachel Dotson, director of program services for Girls Incorporated of Monroe County, who collaborated with Flora on “Does the Shoe Fit?”

The project will culminate Friday in a showing of the girls’ artwork at the John Waldron Arts Center.

“It’s a good way to support girls in the community,” said Flora, who is also the volunteer coordinator for Girls Inc., adding that she believes this will give the girls a platform to talk about who they are and what matters to them.

The mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold, Dotson said. To this end, they create programs specifically to help young girls overcome socially generated barriers like healthy body image.

Girls face eating disorders,  body-image low self-esteem issues. Other main areas of concern are confidence in math, science and sports, Dotson said.

“They report a lower perception of competence,” Dotson said of math and science, explaining there is a statistically noticeable gender gap in confidence by age 14. Dotson said girls are also less hesitant to excel in sports when boys are not around.

“Does the Shoe Fit?” is Flora’s capstone project toward her minor. Her requirements were to work with a not-for-profit organization on a project that relates to that person’s major – in this case, Flora’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

“The program is concerned about civic involvement and involvement in the community outside the University,” said Marjorie Hershey, program director of the Leadership, Ethics and Social Action program. “Ashley has been an incredibly responsible person in undertaking this task.”

Hershey said the huge task required a lot of initiative, as Flora had to raise funds, find other resources, work with young girls and coordinate with people from the Waldron and Girls Inc., as well as face the physical tasks of transporting, framing and setting up the exhibit.

Flora said the idea for the shoes came from other art projects she found online, and fit perfectly with the theme.

“You can’t wear a shoe that doesn’t fit,” she said. “It’s who you are, not what society imposes on you. ... You can’t be what other people want you to be but what you are.”


“Does the Shoe Fit?” exhibit
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday
Where: John Waldron Arts Center
More info: Free and open to the public