Linda St. John: Even Dogs Go Home to Die

May 19, 2002, to July 14, 2002 |

Even Dogs Go Home to Die is an exhibition of drawing and writing by Linda St. John displaying sixteen illustrations based on her memoir published recently by Harper Collins, accompanied by excerpts from the book hand-written directly onto the Museum walls.

St. John shares her childhood memories writing stories, drawing, sewing, and performance that recount her impoverished and difficult childhood in rural Illinois with humor and pathos. More striking than her poverty is the presence of her father in her writing and art. Direct and unapologetic in prose and images, St. John recounts the physical and psychological abuse her father inflicted on the family.

St. John's approach to drawing is both simplistic and sophisticated. Seam rippers are used to carve out shapes from the Craypas covered surface of her drawings to uncover people and places from the dysfunctional construct of her stories. Juxtaposed with this crude execution, the stories recounted are layered with a surprising humor, uncovering the struggle of a daughter to find love for her imperfect father.

Director Giancarlo Esposito joined Linda St. John when she performed excerpts from her book at The Aldrich Museum on June 29, 2002.