by Lisa Apsey

I spoke to a curator at the Tampa Museum of Art, who said selection was based on availability and suggested I call the Independent Curators International in New York. So I made a call to the curator in New York who actually puts the exhibit together for the show and asked her, "Why were just those two colors of dwarf heads chosen?" She said, "There was no rhyme or reason as to why just pink and black were chosen." To anybody else these two dwarf heads are just that: "Dwarf heads" from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, to me and maybe some very few other people, they are symbolic of us as humans separated by race, color, and, for me, sexual preference. How can two innocent cute dwarf heads bring back memories of bullies, name-calling and torture?

First let's talk about the black dwarf head. There is no black dwarf in the Snow White story, so this dwarf head stood out. What was the artist trying to say? I did not know exactly. I do know how it made me feel. I felt uncomfortable, even a sense of anger, as though something we do not have control over, such as skin color, is being made fun of in the form of something cute and innocent. Perhaps that is the point: skin color is not as important as society makes it out to be.

Secondly, we look at the pink dwarf head. No problem with that one, right? Well, wrong. This is the one that affected me most of all for reasons some might not understand. Pink is the color of the "gay triangle" which is a symbol of my sexual preference. But understand it took me several years to feel comfortable with my sexual preference and myself. The pink dwarf head brought back memories of when I was younger and just starting to understand and realize I was gay. Kids were not too keen on the idea, nor did they understand themselves. I was an outcast all though junior high and high school. Strange how simple colors can bring up certain emotions and old baggage?

In conclusion, these two very simple dwarf heads sparked a fire in my soul that brought back memories and turned back time. I go through every day just being judged on my appearance alone. For example, when I go into the ladies' restroom I usually get several types of reactions. Most women just stare as if I am in the wrong bathroom. Is there a special bathroom just for me? Well if there is, I have not found it yet! The two dwarf heads are by the same artist and are the same configuration except for color, yet they are placed far apart from each other in the gallery (and the rest of this wonderful place people call earth). We are all made up of flesh, blood and emotions. The only thing that separates us from one another is ourselves. To be accepted by others we have to accept ourselves first.