IF GOD MADE ANY THING BEHER THAN A WOMAN FOR A MAN HE MUST OF KEPT IT FOR HIMSELF “Missionary” Mary L. Proctor

“Missionary” Mary L. Proctor. Detail of IF GOD MADE ANY THING BEHER THAN A WOMAN FOR A MAN HE MUST OF KEPT IT FOR HIMSELF, 2006. Mixed media painting on found door, 52-1/2 x 22-3/4 x 5-1/2 in. Courtesy of the Museum of Art-DeLand.

Dramatically sprawled out over a large door, a woodcut-out of an Black woman pops out against the sporadic chaos of brazenly neon polka dots. Her body arches backward in a swinging motion and her side profiled head fully tilts back. In a wild exuberance, one arm extends behind her while the other arches overhead. On the doorframe, black lettering in all caps states, “IF GOD MADE ANY THING BEHER THAN A WOMAN FOR A MAN HE MUST OF KEPT IT FOR HIMSELF.” Draped in a colorful arrangement of beads from head to toe, the woman dances, unraveling in a frenzied celebration.