CHICAGO _ Sixty breasts imprinted in paint will be displayed as part of a celebration of female empowerment in a River North art installation.
The imprints, from 30 Chicago women who painted and imprinted their breasts, is part of an installation called "Awake and Rising," opening Thursday, May 3 at Chicago Luxury Beds, 440 N. Wells St. It's part of the store's Dreaming of Design event that showcases various bedroom vignettes.
Designer Emily Mackie, founder of Inspired Interiors, said she came up with the idea after thinking through all of the women who have empowered her.
"I've found a lot in my career and personal life where joining forces with other women has gotten me really far," she said. "It was a celebration of that."
A single mother of three, she said she has felt a great deal of support, professionally and personally, from other women. Some of those women are in the exhibit.
Mackie said not everyone was comfortable being in an art project that included baring her breasts.
"You email someone saying we want 30 women to paint their breasts, and 30 women are like, 'What are you talking about?'" she said.
Women in the exhibit range from WTMX host Lisa Allen to wellness coach Carla Jian Primero and travel and style blogger Ceta White Walters. Several breast cancer survivors also were a part of the project, Mackie said.
The day of the paintings, women came in at half-hour intervals and were offered a glass of wine. Then they chose a Maya Romanoff wall covering and nontoxic paint. In a bathroom, they pressed against the wallpaper to create the designs.
Once the paint dried, artist Sarah Raskey finished the pieces using her vision, as well as notes from meeting the women.
The art eventually will be auctioned online to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen Chicago organization.
"It was so beautiful and inspiring to me that 30 women would show up and say, "This is me,' " Mackie said.
