Being a celebrity, you never know! Are your fans harmless, are they just enjoying the feeling of togetherness? Or could admiration turn to pathologic obsession? Is there a stalker hidden among the friendly masses? One thing is clear: You will need your fans to push your career, to stay a celebrity; you will need the cult around you. But you will have to be cautious.

Is this why Ann Curry's smile seems a little forced while holding Jennifer Towner's hand made sign 'Rise Ann Shine' in her hands? Jennifer Towner standing next to her couldn't smile more cheerfully: It is a triumphant smile. She reached her object of desire and her goal: Ann Curry, the newswoman, holds her sign.

Celebrity culture is the subject of Jennifer Towner's most recent work. She examines celebrities and those who worship them. A special field of investigation touching the deepest desires of people in our world of media. Questions occur: Who is worshiped? Why? And who worships? How is admiration expressed?

And: Can a single person initiate a cult? Can a cult be manipulated? Jennifer Towner demonstrates: Yes, she can. She made a daily trek to the Today Show, a nationally televised morning news program, to proclaim her worship of the newswoman. Through this daily act, Jennifer Towner created her own subset of fans. A collection of give-aways, photos of herself on television and a daily blog captured her dual experience of fan and pseudo-celebrity.

I want to make work that everyone can relate to - the Middle American housewife and the barista at the local coffee house. Art shouldn't be reserved for those people with a particular education or socio-economic background. It should be seen in Grocery Stores and Shopping Malls. (Jennifer Towner)

The exhibition shows a combination of photographs (prints) and the hand made signs she used becoming a 'regular' on the Today show. The signs, made by Jennifer Towner and touched by Ann Curry, turn into relics, ritual objects, worth worshiping too. But who is the deciding celebrity? Ann Curry or Jennifer Towner?

The ritual: A fundamental aspect, which Jennifer Towner often refers to. Daily habits like watching television, drinking coffee, eating, often serve as an impetus for an obsessive or ritualistic act resulting in an installation, sculpture — or blog.

JENNIFER TOWNER grew up in Seattle, Washington. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Washington and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited internationally. Jennifer Towner lives and works in Seattle, Washington - that is until she is hired to be Miss Curry's assistant.

Blog: http://iheartann.blogspot.com

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