As many basked in the spring break afterglow of suntans and hangovers Sunday, one UW-Madison Fine Arts graduate student used a performance-art piece titled Spring Break Speedos 2006” to question the cultural significance of spring break.

According to UW-Madison graduate student Tara Mathison, the culture has been overtaken by "a high school mentality" and has turned some spring break traditions into an economic boom.

The interactive experience, held at Gallery 734, 734 University Ave., features men in Speedos in poses customarily taken by women on MTV's spring break programs and "Girls Gone Wild."

"I wanted to mix things up," Mathison said. "I was just trying to think about fashion and how it relates to art and how pop culture relates to art and how all of these things have the power to make people do things."

Mathison's project was built around the stereotypical MTV-inspired spring break.

According to Lizzie Berkowitz, UW-Madison senior and Wisconsin Union Travel representative, the group sold 99 packages to beach locations, but does not emphasize the bar scenes of the destinations.

"Because we're a university-run facility, we're not allowed to sell the drinking aspect of the vacations," Berkowitz said.

However STA Travel, a nationwide agency that books spring break packages, helped students to gauge what kind of enjoyment they would experience on vacation.

"Kids are pretty candid; they come in here to talk to someone who is not Mom and Dad's travel agent and find out where they can go for a good party," STA Travel Branch Manager Jeanine Renfro said.

She said the general amount of beach vacations increased this year compared to last year's spring recess.

"We didn't do as many Europe or alternative spring breaks this year as we did last year," Renfro said. "This year it was a lot more beaches… I think it was about the parties, but I also think it was about being closer to home."

With one final showing on Thursday, Mathison said she has found this to be the perfect time to question the stereotypes that surround the typical spring break and what is aesthetically pleasing to the American culture.

"Youth is kind of the elixir for our society: If you're not thin and you're not young or marketable in some way, you're cast aside," Mathison said. "Spring break is just one of the many opportunities we have to be told this again.""