By: Kirsten Scoggins

Megan Myrick is a senior art major from Montgomery, Alabama. She is graduating this May and plans to teach high school art. Myrick has always loved art and knew she wanted to carry it into her future. 

Growing up, Megan Myrick watched her mother paint pictures and murals. Her mother’s talent inspired Myrick to learn how to draw. Myrick’s mother was her biggest inspiration for falling in love with art. 

photo courtesy of Kirsten Scoggins

Myrick’s art show

Mryick’s show is called “Challenging Our Bias.” Myrick has been working on this project all semester. She has a total of five pieces that complete the whole show. 

 Myrick wanted to use her work to create a social change. She reflected on other artists and realized how art has the power to create meaningful change for society. She found that artist, Banksy, inspired her to take action in raising awareness of social issues and biases. 

photo courtesy of Kirsten Scoggins

“As an artist, I believe it is important to bring attention to social bias through my work,” says Myrick. 

 Myrick emphasizes the different forms of social bias that occur on a daily basis. In her artwork, she planned to address implicit biases, which are formed automatically and unintentionally. Most biases form based on marginalized groups or individuals. 

“For my work, I drew people who would represent different social concepts but might not be the person most people would think of,” says Myrick. 

In her five different pieces, Myrick took the ideas of masculinity, strength, and nurturing to portray someone who represents those words but is not the social standards. 

With her art, Myrick challenges societal norms and brings attention to the issues that come from judging through a biased lens. 

Myrick questions why women can’t represent physical strength. She also questions why fathers can’t be considered as nurturing as mothers. 

With her artwork, Myrick shows exactly how roles can be reserved and how nobody has to be set to societal norms. 

“I hope when leaving this show, minds can be expanded and we can learn to accept each other,” says Myrick. 

Myrick’s figurative art challenges social bias and allows for the Montevallo community and anyone who views her work to reflect on their own biases. Her art brings awareness to implicit biases.