Honoring Women's Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together

Copyright 2012 by the Women’s Caucus for Art. The book author and each artist here, retains sole copyright to their contributions to this book.

Catalog designed by Karen Gutfreund, Vice President and National Exhibitions Director and edited by Mollie Dezern, Exhibition Editor and Administrative Assistant.

Cover Design by: Rozanne Hermelyn, Arc and Line Communication and Design. www.arcandline.com

ISBN: 978-0-9831702-6-6

Honoring Women’s Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together

National Juried Exhibition

Presented by the Women’s Caucus for Art

South Bay Area, Peninsula, Northern California and Monterey Bay Chapters

Jurors

Dr. Joyce Aiken

Dr. Ruth Weisberg

Patricia Rodriguez at National Steinbeck Center

1 Main Street, Salinas, CA 93906

September 7, 2012 to January 6, 2013

Historically, women have played a central role in the struggle for Civil Rights, yet their voices and experiences are generally ignored. We believe the roles of women in the Civil Rights movement and in everyday life should be examined and interpreted. This exhibition was prepared to visually interpret this struggle, from the local Salinas Valley community to the global level.

By promoting and striving for protection and actualization of women's rights, we are paving a path for a stronger and fuller civil and personal life. We can join our visual voices together to create authentic recognition, validation and compassion for each other. We can review our collective history as females, take stock of our present positions and envision our future, knowing what we want to improve, empowering ourselves and those who follow us.

We rise to the challenge given by Hillary Rodham Clinton in her remarks to the United Nations 4th World Conference at the Women Plenary Session, in Beijing, China, Women's Rights are Human Rights!

"The great challenge…is to give voice to women everywhere whose experiences go unnoticed, whose words go unheard."

Darlene Boyd Honoring Women's Rights Committee Chair

From Concept to Conference

Honoring Women’s Rights conference grew from a simple idea to celebrate Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) 40th anniversary. We reached out to all the Pacific-Region chapters and formed a four chapter alliance of Monterey Bay, Peninsula, Northern California and South Bay Area (SBA), the latter of which I am president. Darlene Boyd, SBAWCA’s e-bulletin chair joined me to form a two person striking committee. Our vision was modest we wanted to shed light on the complete history of the women’s movement, starting with Seneca Falls to present and mix in a generous amount of art activism.

We knew the National Steinbeck Center had beautiful art galleries and then realized Steinbeck’s mission was in alignment with WCA’s to champion the forgotten and disenfranchised, while affirming the strength of the human spirit we knew we found a simpatico group with whom to work. As we waded into the details of shaping a juried exhibition and conference (juror and speaker searches, contract negotiations, developing social media platforms, building project plan structures, and building a volunteer corps) the political climate was brewing up a strange and toxic brew that enticed 19 states to pass 162 restrictive female gender laws.

The loudest discourse was on February 23, 2012. Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown Law student, spoke at the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee meeting about lack of insurance coverage for women’s contraception. This crystalized a new women’s movement that had been simmering in every state. When national radio host, Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute, a nation-wide backlash erupted. Immediately, business women Karen Teegarden and Desiree Jordan were inspired to create the 4.28.12 Unite Against War on Women rallies in every state capital. I went to one, handed conference cards out and told of our conference to everyone I met.

I had to keep spreading the word and look for volunteers. I went to women’s equity fund raisers, younger activists’ meet-and-greets, and WCA chapter meetings in New York, Berkeley, Pacifica, Monterey, Palo Alto, and Michigan. I rallied our members to get involved. I shot PSA videos at Mid-Peninsula Media Center, posted them on YouTube, our website and FaceBook, and burned and distributed DVD copies to six cable access stations from Pacifica to Monterey. A film production company made a short crowd-funder film for us. A design company volunteered to redesign our website to be modern and sleek.

As all this was gelling, important women activists reached out to us. We now had a robust public face and solid structure to form around. Karen Teegarden and I connected through an Honoring Women's Rights website form and I met her in person while attending a WCA meeting in Michigan. I found our keynote speaker, Louise Bernikow, through a CUNY-TV cable access show and met her while at a NY WCA chapter meeting. Sandra Fluke and I have connected only through Twitter.

The Honoring Women's Rights conference on September 8, 2012 is forum on women's rights from many perspectives. It resulted from public outcry in search of answers to what happened. It is a search for a structure to work in together where women can to meet and discuss “What next?”

Susan Kraft Conference Director

A Word from the National WCA President

Welcome to the Women’s Caucus for Art exhibition, Honoring Women’s Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together. This exhibition is an important companion to the Honoring Women’s Rights Conference, that brings together speakers, panelists, and artists to address a wide spectrum of women's rights issues: gender equity, immigration, human trafficking, environment, reproductive health, and young women’s issues. With the “war on women” on the political agenda, this exhibition could not be more timely than now, during this Presidential election year.

Three jurors collaboratively selected works of 94 artists, which cover women’s rights perspectives from personal experience, family history, politics, cultural patterns, current affairs, historic events and notable heroines. By the sheer number and variety of works represented, the exhibition will surely stimulate conversations among viewers, educate youth who visit the National Steinbeck Center, and evoke an appreciation for how far women have come, and how much further we have to go to protect and honor our rights.

Honoring Women's Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together began with an idea to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Women’s Caucus for Art among local chapters. It grew into an ambitious exhibition and conference, strengthened by WCA volunteers from four California chapters. As the exhibition and conference grew in size, so did the participation from women all over the United States who wanted to lend their art and their voices to this event. This exhibition and conference exemplify WCA’s mission to create community through art, education and social activism.

I would like to thank the exhibitions committee, whose enthusiasm and work helped make this show possible: Karen Gutfreund, Salma Arastu and Trudi Chamoff Hauptman. I thank the jurors, Dr. Joyce Aiken, Patricia Rodriguez, and Dr. Ruth Weisberg, for their thoughtful selections under somewhat trying technological conditions. Thank you, Esmeralda Montenegro Owen of the National Steinbeck Center for providing the venue for our exhibition. And I wish to recognize Darlene Boyd and Susan Kraft, the key organizers of the conference, and the many participants from the Monterey Bay, Northern California, Peninsula and South Bay Area WCA chapters who brought their ideas, energy and time to make this exhibition and conference a memorable event.

The Women’s Caucus for Art was founded in 1972 in connection with the College Art Association (CAA). WCA is a national member organization unique in its multidisciplinary, multicultural membership of artists, art historians, students, educators, and museum professionals.

The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education, and social activism. WCA is committed to recognizing the contribution of women in the arts; providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development; expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women; supporting local, national and global art activism; and advocating for equity in the arts for all.

As an NGO (non-governmental organization) of the United Nations, the Women’s Caucus for Art actively supports the UN Millennium Goals. WCA utilizes art as the universal language to engage artists, NGOS, and civil society on a broad range of issues such as gender equity and environmental sustainability.

As a founding member of the Feminist Art Project, WCA is part of a collaborative national initiative celebrating the Feminist Art Movement and the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on the visual arts, art history, and art practice, past and present.

Priscilla Otani WCA President August, 2012

From the Exhibition Director

Art can be a powerful, productive force, and is often instrumental in sparking change or critical thinking. The Women’s Caucus for Art is committed to supporting local, national, and global art activism. Art can produce a visceral response and can provoke, inspire, or disturb, and opens your eyes to worlds other than your own. While the artist may not consider themselves to be a revolutionary, their art can effect change by bringing issues and concerns to light. We need art that helps us to understand what is happening in our society, who we are, where we come from and where we’re going.

With our prospectus for Honoring Women’s Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together, we asked for artwork that examines and explores the social, political and economic issues related to women's activism. Historically, women have played a central role in the struggle for Civil Rights, yet their voices and experiences are generally ignored. We believe the roles of women should be examined and interpreted. We proposed an exhibition as a means of visually interpreting the struggle for women’s rights. By promoting and striving for protection and actualization of women's rights, we are paving a path for a stronger and fuller civil and personal life, empowering ourselves and those who follow us. We join our visual voices together to create authentic recognition, validation and compassion for one another; we can review our collective history as women, take stock of our present positions, and envision our future, knowing what we want to improve.

Our jurors, Dr. Joyce Aiken, Dr. Ruth Weisberg and Patricia Rodriguez chose 94 artists with 108 works to be exhibited in these museum galleries in the National Steinbeck Center. We are honored to work with these artists and to showcase their work. We believe in the power of artists to create, connect, and change the world.

Thank you to Deborah Silguero-Stahl, Curator of Exhibitions & Collections and the staff at the Center for partnering with us to put on this exhibition and to Dr. Joyce Aiken, Dr. Ruth Weisberg and Patricia Rodriguez and Salma Arastu, juror liaison, for compiling an incredible body of work on this activist theme from 257 submissions. A huge thank you to Trudi Chamoff Hauptman, the co-director for this exhibition for her excellent logistical and planning assistance, and to Mollie Dezern, our Exhibitions Editor and Administrative Assistant who masterfully edited the catalog and artist database while working on her thesis in Art History. As always, thank you to Rozanne Hermelyn for the fabulous catalog cover design. And most of all, a heartfelt thanks to the South Bay Area, Peninsula, Northern California and Monterey Bay chapters of the WCA, our national Board and members of Women’s Caucus for Art for their ongoing work to create greater exposure for women in the arts and art as activism.

Karen Gutfreund Vice President and National Exhibitions Director Women’s Caucus for Art

About The Women’s Caucus for Art:

The Women’s Caucus for Art was founded in 1972 in connection with the College Art Association (CAA). WCA is a national member organization unique in its multidisciplinary, multicultural membership of artists, art historians, students, educators, and museum professionals.

The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education, and social activism. WCA is committed to recognizing the contribution of women in the arts; providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development; expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women; supporting local, national and global art activism; and advocating for equity in the arts for all.

As an NGO (non-governmental organization) of the United Nations, the Women’s Caucus for Art actively supports the UN Millennium Goals. WCA utilizes art as the universal language to engage artists, NGOS, and civil society on a broad range of issues such as gender equity and environmental sustainability.

As a founding member of the Feminist Art Project, WCA is part of a collaborative national initiative celebrating the Feminist Art Movement and the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on the visual arts, art history, and art practice, past and present.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education, and social activism.

We are committed to:

 recognizing the contributions of women in the arts

 providing women with leadership opportunities and professional development

 expanding networking and exhibition opportunities for women

 supporting local, national, and global art activism

 advocating for equity in the arts for all

For more information visit: www.nationalwca.org

P. O. Box 1498, Canal Street Station, New York, NY 10013-1498 info@nationalwca.org, Tel: 212.634.0007

www.facebook.com/groups/107511953206/ twitter.com/#!/artWCA

Juror’s Comments

It was a great pleasure for us to jury the 40th Anniversary Art Exhibition for the four Northern California Chapters of the WCA. The theme of ‘Honoring Women’s Rights’ seemed particularly appropriate given the mission of the WCA and the experience and beliefs of so many women. We were very impressed with the variety of ways that women artists addressed these concerns as well as the often courageous way that these compelling issues were incorporated. We believe that this exhibition will be truly thought provoking and inspiring for the public that comes to the exhibition willing to truly engage with the work.

For the exhibition we chose 104 works of art out of a pool of 360 submitted works. You may notice that in terms of our selection there is no dominant style and no one media has been privileged. Rather we tried to select the work for both its commitment to the concept of the exhibition and the quality of the work itself. Whatever the style or medium chosen we sought a level of concern for the visual expression of the ideas. We came away with great respect for the skills and engagement in the artistic process of this cohort of artists. Yes, there may be a few regional tendencies. For example it was interesting to note a certain confident brushwork among the painters which seems characteristic of the Bay Area. However the work spanned many genres from almost futuristic digital manipulations of imagery to work that emphasized handwork that is traditionally associated with women.

We truly hope you will enjoy the work selected as much as we benefitted from the process of making the selections.

Joyce Aiken

Patricia Rodriguez

Ruth Weisberg

About the Jurors

DR. JOYCE AIKEN

Professor Emerita of Art from California State University, Fresno. She taught Feminist Art from 1973 to 1992 when she retired from full-time teaching, but continues to teach for the University in their London Semester Program. She was the Director of the Fresno Arts Council from 2004 to 2008 and represents them as the Public Art Consultant for both the City and County of Fresno. Her current art is conceptual and centers on social issues.

DR. RUTH WEISBURG

Professor of Fine Arts and former Dean at the Roski School, University of Southern California; received the Foundation for Jewish Culture's 50th Anniversary Cultural Achievement Award in September 2011. She has been the recipient of the Art Leadership Award, National Council of Art Administrators and the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, Hebrew Union College, 2001, College Art Association Distinguished Teaching of Art Award 1999, Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome 1992, 1994, 1995 and 2011. Weisburg has had over 80 solo and 185 group exhibitions, including a recent major exhibition at the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena and a retrospective at the Skirball Museum, Los Angeles as well as a solo exhibition at the Huntingotn in San Marion. She is featured in a Pacific Standard Time exhibition at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts entitled Ruth Weisberg: Now & Then, February through April 2012. Her is included in 60 major Museum collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Biblioteque Nationale of Paris, France, Instituto Nationale per la Grafica, Rome, Detroit Institute of Arts, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Norwegian National Museum, Oslo, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, National Gallery, Washington, DC, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ

Co-founder of the ‘Mujeres Muralistas’ (women's mural group), 1970-79, she is one of the first Chicana artists to create a course on Chicano Art History and a reader for the Chicano Art History course at UC Berkeley in 1977. She also taught at The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Espanola Community College in Espanola, New Mexico, and at Los Alamos Community College at Los Alamos, New Mexico from 1990 -96. Having just completed a ten-year career as gallery curator for Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco, Ms. Rodriguez continues to curate shows through the internet and locally. Her latest curatorial work is an exhibition for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) titled, ‘Love and Loss’ at the Oakland Museum of California from October 12 December 11, 2011. Her exhibition artwork has been monotype prints, box constructions in the Bay Area, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Smithsonian, Washington DC, Mexican Fine Arts Museum, Chicago, IL, white Gallery, UCLA, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, and De Young Museum, San Francisco, The Triton Museum, Santa Clara, and many other community galleries and venues.

About the National Steinbeck Center

Mission: The National Steinbeck Center...building community, celebrating creativity inspired by the words of John Steinbeck.

The National Steinbeck Center is located in John Steinbeck’s hometown of Salinas, Calif., a scenic 17-mile drive from Monterey in the heart of Steinbeck Country. The Center offers three distinct visitor experiences in literature and history, agriculture and art, as well special events and educational programs.

In the John Steinbeck Exhibition Hall, literature jumps off the printed page and into your imagination. Discover Steinbeck’s world through interactive, multi-

sensory exhibits for all ages, rare artifacts and seven themed theaters showcasing East of Eden, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and much more.

Explore the stories of the Salinas Valley “from field to fork” in the Rabobank Agriculture Museum. Salinas has long been known as “the Salad Bowl of the World”, and this hands-on permanent exhibit celebrates the history, people and technology of the agricultural industry.

Enjoy changing art and cultural exhibits in the our multiple gallery spaces.

Rooted in the earth and the people of the Salinas Valley, Steinbeck achieved worldwide recognition for his keen observations and powerful descriptions of the human condition. He championed the forgotten and disenfranchised, while affirming the strength of the human spirit. His life was as rich and provocative as the Salinas Valley he immortalized in his writing. Steinbeck drew his inspiration from this land and became known throughout the world, receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

The Center is a wonderful attraction for school groups and adult tours and a unique venue for special events. Funds raised through admissions, memberships, programs, museum store sales, events and donations help support the Center, which is a 501(3) non-profit institution.

Honoring Women's Rights Conference

September 8, 2012

National Steinbeck Center Salinas, California

A national summit in advance of the 2012 Presidential election and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) will be held at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California on September 8, 2012.

Artists and activists from across the country will gather to consider a wide spectrum of concerns from immigration, human trafficking, environment, reproductive health, right to vote, to gender equity and girls in the media.

The day will be opened by Esmeralda Montenegro Owen, Curator of Marketing and Community Engagement at the National Steinbeck Center followed by welcoming remarks from the Women’s Caucus of Art by Priscilla Otani, National WCA President and Sandra Mueller, Pacific Region WCA Vice President as well as Monterey County Supervisor Jane Parker will speak.

Conference speakers and presenters come from the realms of politics, education, art, business and philanthropy. The full conference program will include:

OPENING ADDRESS delivered by Louise Bernikow, "The Shoulders We Stand On: Women as Agents of Change.”

MORNING PRESENTATIONS by Jane Schonberger on "Moving Female Athletes Off The Sidelines,” Emilia Fuentes Grant on “Bad Romance: Women’s Suffrage,” Flo Oy Wong on "My Mother: My Father's Sister, An Illegal Immigrant,” Pia Guerrero on “Adios Barbie,” Ani Zonneveld on “I’m sexier than Britney Spears;” and Kim Abeles on "Men and Water.”

ACTIVISM PANEL moderated by Kim Abeles with Melanie Cervantes, Karen Teegarden, Geri Montano and Martha Richards as panelists.

EDUCATION & CURRENT EVENTS panel moderated by Priscilla Otani with Enid Baxter Blader, Linda Turner Bynoe, Sandra Fluke, Emilia Fuentes Grant and Jane Schonberger.

AFTERNOON PRESENTATIONS by Malissa Feruzzi Shriver on “California Artists & Arts Education,” Martha Richards on “SWAN Day: An International Holiday that Celebrates Women Artists and Sandra Fluke on “Issues Facing Students Today.”

MUSICAL PLAY entitled "We Did it For You” by Dr. Thea Iberall

CONCLUDING PRESENTATIONS by Judy Baca on "Feminist Representation and the Public Art of Judy Baca” and Karen Teegarden on "Unite Women."

The day will conclude with an evening reception at the National Steinbeck Center for the related exhibition Honoring Women’s Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together that is documented in this catalogue and features the artwork of 94 women artist-activists from across the country.

SPEAKER BIOS:

KIM ABELES is an artist who crosses disciplines and media to explore and map the urban environment and chronicle broad social issues often collaborating with the very groups impacted by such issues. Her recent "Pearls of Wisdom: End the Violence" at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles was viewed by over a quarter million visitors. Her work is in many collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art; United States Information Agency; Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Yucun Art Museum, Suzhou, China. Abeles has received grants from the Andy Warhol and Peter Norton Foundations and fellowships from the J. Paul Getty Trust Fund, Pollack-Krasner Foundation, and the California Arts Council. She is a member of the Southern California WCA chapter.

JUDY BACA is a world-renowned painter and muralist, community arts pioneer, scholar and educator. She founded the first City of Los Angeles Mural Program in 1974, which evolved into a community arts organization known as the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) which was has been creating sites of public memory since 1976. Baca continues to serve as its artistic director and focuses her creative energy in the UCLA@SPARC Cesar Chavez Digital Mural Lab, employing digital technology to co-create collaborative mural designs. She has taught in the UC system for over 30 years and has been on faculty in the UCLA Chicana/o Studies Department since 1996. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for Art in 1999.

LOUISE BERNIKOW is a nationally known feminist activist, scholar and writer. She has published nine books, including The World Split Open and Among Women, both standard texts in Women's Studies. She is a founder of the Columbia Seminar on Women and Society and the Women's Biography group at the CUNY Graduate Center and was an original contributor to MS. magazine. Her lectures on radical American women's history "The Shoulders We Stand On: Women as Agents of Change" have been enjoyed on campuses, at conferences, and in communities around the country. She also wrote The American Women's Almanac, an "irreverent" illustrated American women's history. Bernikow is a Fulbright Fellow with degrees from Barnard College and Columbia University. She is currently re-visiting the early 20th century fight for women's suffrage,

ENID BAXTER BLADER is an artist, filmmaker and musician. She co-edited the project/book/website entitled Water, CA that is currently touring as a museum exhibition. Her works have been shown at the Smithsonian, the Getty Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles) as well as the Kunsthalle Vienna and The Arnolfini (London). She has received grants from the California Council of the Humanities, Durfee Foundation and Kodak. She founded the Monterey Film Society. Her BFA is from The Cooper Union and her MFA is from Claremont Graduate University. She was a fellow at Yale and is now an Associate Professor of Experimental Film at Cal State University Monterey Bay.

LINDA TURNER BYNOE ED.D is a university professor and author. She has taught at CSU Monterey Bay for over 12 years. Her research and teaching has been in the areas of Feminist and Peace Studies. She received the California Faculty Association's 2006 Mario Savio Equal Rights Award in recognition of her leadership in the promotion of equal rights throughout California State Universities. Bynoe received her Ed. D. in International Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco.

MELANIE CERVANTES is a Xicana activist-artist. She co-founded Dignidad Rebelde, a collaborative graphic arts project that translates stories of struggle and resistance into artwork that can be put back into the hands of the communities who inspired it. Her work has been shown at Galería de la Raza (San Francisco); Woman Made Gallery and National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago); Mexic-Arte and Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (Austin); and Crewest (Los Angeles). Her work is in the collections of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, the Green Library at Stanford, and the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State. She works as a Program Officer at the Akonadi Foundation and holds a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC, Berkeley.

SANDRA KAY FLUKE is an attorney and women's rights activist who rose to national attention when her 2012 testimony before Democratic members of the House of Representatives drew inflammatory comments from Rush Limbaugh. Fluke graduated from Cornell University in 2003 and worked for Sanctuary for Families, aiding victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2012 where she served as president of Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

EMELIA FUENTES GRANT is a freelance writer who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. She writes educational content for Soomo Publishing and is the screenwriter and lyricist behind "Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration" (2009) and "Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage" (2012). The video blends Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (2009) with the radical activism of Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party in the fight for the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage.

PIA GUERRERO is a media literacy expert, social critic, writer and non-profit executive. She has over 20 years of nonprofit leadership at Just Think, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and GirlSource. She is currently Executive Director at SheHeroes where they research and tell inspiring stories of female role models via free video hero stories for tweens. She is also the founder and editor of AdiosBarbie.com, the first multicultural body image site and a board member of Girls Figure In. a project of the San Francisco NOW educational fund. She co-authored Work of the Mind: Media Studies Curricula. Guerrero is a graduate of the Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism and splits her time between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

THEA IBERALL, Ph.D is a performance poet, playwright and scientist. She is widely published in anthologies and her volume, The Sanctuary of Artemis: A Collection of Contextual Poems was published by Tebot Bach. Iberall’s plays include We Did It For You and her Primed for Love. She is the editor of The Hummingbird Review and has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from University of Massachusetts and a Master’s degree in writing from University of Southern California where she works as a research professor in the USC School of Cinema-Television.

GERI MONTANO is a multiracial contemporary artist. She emphasizes her Native American heritage and creates provocative collage drawings, juxtaposing subversive and aesthetic imagery. Her current body of work, “Traded Moons,” interprets aspects of sex trafficking with grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission helping to fund this project. "Traded Moons" installation was recently exhibited at Galeria de la Raza. She has also shown at Diego Riviera, Workspace Ltd., SOMArts Cultural Center and MACLA. She received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1997.

PRISCILLA OTANI is an artist, curator, and arts leader. Social issues, particularly those that affect youth, class and women are recurring themes in her mixed-media artwork and cultural leadership. Her exhibition projects include Effects of War, Women on War, Cutting Edge Books and Women Artists on Immigration. She has curated s global postcard exhibits, presented a workshop at the 2009 Mexican City United Nations conference and also had a prior career as an international executive at The Gap. Otani is co-founder of Arc Studios & Gallery in San Francisco, President of the National Women's Caucus for Art and a member of the Northern California WCA chapter. She is a graduate of Mills College with a Masters in Japanese Literature from Columbia University.

MARTHA RICHARDS is a lecturer, writer, attorney and arts leader. She is the founder and Executive Director of

WomenArts and previously served as Executive Director of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts and as Managing Director of StageWest. She writes and lectures frequently on arts and cultural policy issues. In April 2009 she was inducted into the BayPath College 21st Century Women Business Leaders Hall of Fame for her work in philanthropy. Richards has a B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from Hastings College of Law. She is a member of the California bar and a founding director of California Lawyers for the Arts.

JANE SCHONBERGER is a writer, creative executive and product development consultant with a background in traditional and digital media. She co-founded the first blog network devoted to female athletes as well as a series of popular young adult novels about girls who play sports. She is Sports Editor at BlogHer, Inc., CoFounder/Editor-in-Chief at Women Talk Sports LL and Managing Partner at Pretty Tough, Inc., a national lifestyle brand resource for female athletes.

MALISSA FERUZZI SHRIVER is a fine artist, gallery owner and Chair of the California Arts Council. She serves on the boards of the National Assembly of State Art Agencies, the California Institute of the Arts, and the Western States Arts Federation. She is a policy board member for the California Alliance for Arts Education and former board member of the California Music Project, a nonprofit organization created to support music education in K-12 schools. She is a graduate of UCLA in Women’s Studies and Psychology and co-founder of Feruzzi Fine Art that specializes in recreations of masters paintings.

KAREN TEEGARDEN founded UniteWomen.org on February 19, 2012 from her home in Birmingham Michigan as a grass roots and multi-generational organization to address the war on women. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and President of Karen Teegarden and Associates a marketing and advertising sales firm. Her daughter was raised to believe in her core that she was created equal.

FLO OY WONG is a contemporary installation artist, painter and activist. She is a co-founder of the Asian American Women Artists Association and a former board member of the National Women's Caucus for Art. Oy Wong's art residencies include Art Omi in New York, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Djerassi. She has shown her art nationally and internationally and has received two National Endowment for the Arts grants to support her work at the intersection of art and history. In 1995, Oy Wong received a mid-career President's Award from the Women's Caucus for Art.

ANI ZONNEVELD is a songwriter, producer, and activist. She is co-founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values, co-chief editor of Progressive Muslim Identities-Personal Stories and a frequent speaker on inclusive diversity. After 9/11, she wrote and produced Ummah Wake-Up and now writes a column of the same title for AsianMedia.com. Zonneveld received a Grammy certification for her contribution to “Keep It Simple.” She was named a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow by the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

HONORING WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

The conference was organized and presented by the members and directors of the four Northern California chapters of the Women’s Caucus for Art South Bay WCA, Northern California WCA, Peninsula WCA and Monterey Bay WCA in collaboration with the National Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA. Darlene Boyd served as Conference Chair and Susan Kraft served as Project Manager and Public Relations Chair. Other chairs included:

Jill Andre, Graphics

Salma Arastu, Exhibition Juror Coordinator

Brianda Alvarez, College Outreach & Registration

Jennifer Colby, Ph.D., Women's Art History Timeline

Dead Set Films, Filmmaker

Mollie Dezern, Exhibition Editor and Administrative Assistant

Ellen Lee, Public Relations and Publications

Karen Gutfreund, Exhibition Consultant

Kelly Hammargren, Participant Advocate

Trudi Chamoff Hauptman, Art Logistics

Sue Ann Hillyer, Art 4 Girls Sake

Judy Johnson-Williams, Conference Give-Aways

Cathy Keys, Film Chair

Marianna Lynn Moles, Hotel & Registration

Sandra Mueller, Engagement Consultant

Priscilla Otani, Executive Advisor

Patty Page, Marketing & Music

Jane Peterman, Treasurer

Sally Rayn, Artist & Speaker Outreach

Siren Song Creations, Website & Program Design

Lynne Todaro, Artist Outreach

Nance Wheeler, Camera & Media Booth

Marian Yap. Event Day Coordinator

Additional information can be found online about the conference and the sponsoring organizations at honoringwomensrights.org, nationalwca.org and steinbeck.org.

Editor’s Note: Since the writing and publishing of this catalogue precedes the actual conference, there may be slight changes in the final program.

The Ragdoll Project is an ongoing project by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art that educates the public on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and supports survivors and at risk women and children. The project began in the spring of 2011, to engage artists and the public in a creative project that would bring more people into the discussion about trafficking and offer an opportunity to contribute to the lives of those affected by this crime. After reading about the lives of trafficked adults and children, we decided that the ragdoll was a fitting symbol for the way victims are treated. A pile of handmade ragdolls was created by artists and community members to symbolize the numbers of human beings impacted by trafficking.

The dolls have been presented along with educational information at various public venues in Philadelphia, and will travel to cities across the United States. The Philadelphia Women’s Caucus for Art has hosted protests, ragdoll making workshops, movie nights, a fundraising concert, educational sessions on human trafficking, and an exhibition titled Stop Slavery Now in March of 2012 at F&N Gallery in Philadelphia. Many dolls have been auctioned off at events and the proceeds have gone directly to Dawn’s Place, a shelter that houses survivors of sex trafficking in Philadelphia. We hope the project will reach artists and the public throughout the U.S. and we encourage other chapters of the Caucus to host doll-making events and doll auctions to raise funds for survivors in their cities.

There are currently an estimated 27 million people globally that are enslaved. Human trafficking is the second largest organized crime in the world, generating approximately $32 billion a year. The majority of those involved are children, teens, and adults who were trafficked into prostitution before the age of 18. Traffickers and pimps in the US prey on at risk youth and advertise in local papers and on the internet. In most states, the laws that would prosecute pimps, johns, and traffickers are outdated and ineffective or nonexistent. Laws that will end the demand, prosecute the criminals, and protect victims will only be put into place when there is enough public support to do so. Please visit www.theragdollproject.org to learn more about the issue and to contribute a doll to this worthy cause.

Honoring Women’s Rights: Echoing Visual Voices Together ARTISTS

*indicates invited artists

She was amongst the crowd of almost two million individuals on a frigid January 20, 2009 at the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington, DC. She is the symbol of hope at this time in American history. It is as if her glance is towards the future prosperity for all and the dreams to be created by all.

Aleta Aaron. Hope. 2009. Photograph and wooden frame with glass. 27 x 31 inches.

The painting is a portrait of a little girl wearing a school uniform. Her right arm shows a bar code/distribution mark and on her blouse is a patch with a school coat of arms which states Ain’t I A Woman?, founded 1851. This is the title of the famous speech given by women’s rights activist Soujourner Truth, which was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. This image was created to imply the human rights issues existing today for women, specifically children’s slavery and labor.

Suzanne Anan. Ain’t I A Woman? 2010. Oil. 20 x 30 inches.

This fourteen-foot-high figure connects mind to body and hands to heart. After 40 years of feeling disengaged from my own body because of childhood abuse, I’ve begun to undo the damage and rebuild myself into a whole person. The size of piece has required strength and stamina I didn’t know I had. In creating such a large self portrait, I declare to the world ‘This body is mine, for my own purpose.’ My capable hands have built a message from my heart in the form of a red kite; I am sending the kite out to other women.

Jill Andre. Sacre Rouge. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 15 x 4.5 feet.

In this joyful rendering, women are celebrating and calling together for equal rights. I create featureless faces in my paintings so that any woman can see herself lifting her voice together with everyone. These voices cannot be silenced now. A connected world brings women of all cultures together, combining strength and resources. Empowered women have to help those who are not empowered. My goal is to let every woman achieve her sense of harmony, balance and spirituality. Let us rise together!

Salma Arastu. Together We Rise! 2012. Pen and Ink on Silk-fiber paper glued on board. 16 x 22 inches.

I am moved by the natural world: earth, sky and sea, with all their beauty and mystery. I aim to promote the appreciation and conservation of our natural environment through painting, photography and other art forms. Sometimes the inspiration to recreate nature is effortless, like the miracle of light and shadow, a surprise spray of spring color, sparkle of waves or fog in the trees. Other times, I am on an intentional quest to capture the glory in a far corner of the earth.

Seda Baghdasarian. Meditation. 2011. Lambda print on metallic paper. Edition of 50. 20 x 16 inches.

Here I address the issue of aging of women in our society. I used granny dolls that looked like old witches whose bodies had been cut in half. The dolls were my evidence for how old women are stereotyped and viewed in our society. I was inspired by how the male Surrealists had used the middle-essential of the woman as signifier for the young woman. I took photographs of the granny dolls in different environments to show how powerful they are since they are all over the world.

Ulla Barr. In the Desert. 2000. Color photo mounted on Gator Board. 16 x 20 inches.

Twenty-Five addresses the role of women as cultural agents. The hands allude at the woman’s origin, her cultural roots. Our mothers and grandmothers initiate us into the expectations and customs of our culture, providing the stories of family, community, and homeland. War, conquest, famine, and other life-changing events have forced ordinary women to migrate. Women go into the world carrying the fundamental aspects of their culture, from values and language to fashion and food. Throughout history, women have disseminated culture, gradually permeating places and societies, influencing and changing the people and places they encounter.

Tessie Barrera-Scharaga. Twenty-Five: Chronicle of a Journey. 2009. Clay, found objects, drawing, steel, photography. 6 x 10 x 8 inches.

Beard’s patterns aren’t static, but deviate from their original just slightly. This creates movement within the work—a lyrical dance of repetition and variation. In language, repetition amplifies and intensifies the thought. The same occurs in Beard’s paintings, as the viewer takes in one similar shape after another, the pattern becomes insistent to its cause: design. In this body of work Stephanie Beard maintains a delicate balance between what is simply rhetorical and what is reasonably repeated.

Stephanie Beard. Live Wires. 2011. Acrylic on canvas. 24 x 24 inches.

Deanna Beye. Full House Viradiana. 2012. Mixed media acrylic collage. 24 x 18 inches.

Full House Viradiana is based on women sharing, and the balance of power.

Marie Bezjian. The Leader. 1994. Pen and ink on paper. 8 x 11 inches.

When I work with my paintings I express my feelings which I print on paper. When people see my work, they read the history through the painting. My painting The Leader shows the struggle of a nation.

In my work, I explore moments of personal introspection with regards to the bigger picture of the challenges we face collectively. I am interested in how we react and confront the obstacles that we face as women. In this piece I used two different news articles. One story talks about the brutalization of women in the Congo. The other is about a young female boxer, who grew up in the US, being violated by her own father. By juxtaposing these stories I aim to pose questions about the universality of violence against women, and how we end it.

Jennifer Bloomer. Chance Encounter. 2012. Oil paint, graphite, newspaper on masonite. 12 x 16 inches.

In Status Questioned I used the World Briefing section of the New York Times, which takes life changing world events and summarizes them in one “brief” paragraph. With this piece, I aim to pose questions about how we create daily relevance of these events in our own lives. I’m interested in how we acknowledge the bigger picture of what is happening in the world without getting overwhelmed and shutting down. I want to explore how we, as women, connect across barriers and recognize the “humanness” of our experience.

Jennifer Bloomer. Status Questioned. 2012. Oil paint, graphite, newspaper on masonite. 8 x 12 inches.

Melody Brown paints the indelible bond between women portraying unity of togetherness through dance. Women hold the spirit of unity and ascension with light and love, and expresses visuals of past, present, and future events. She is a raw intuitive process painter including elements of energy, rhythm, and dance combined with color and imagery.

Melody Brown. Karma Sutra Entanglement. 2010. Oil on Canvas. 72 x 30 inches.

My work stirs up issues concerning the state of reproductive rights. I do not believe women’s rights should be dictated by faith. I do not hold religious ideals and find many faith based beliefs offensive and immoral. Our country was founded on freedoms and equalities which I do not see upheld and it is frightening. Let’s honor women’s rights by continuing the fight for equality and reproductive rights.

Tracy Brown. Get Em Out. 2012. Digital archival limited addition. 16 x 16 inches.

Bloomers were invented in 1850 by Elizabeth Miller, in reaction to the debilitating women’s fashions which caused so many serious health problems. Amelia Bloomer, editor of a feminist newspaper and rational dress advocate, saw bloomers as a way to improve the health and status of women. She wrote articles promoting the fashion, including patterns so women could sew their own. She always appeared in public wearing the outfit, which generated publicity and ridicule. Women today still suffer from cruel fashions. Is this progress?

Donna Catanzaro. Tribute to Amelia Bloomer. 2006. Archival print. 17 x 21 inches.

I created the Fractured Glass Ceiling artwork in response to Hillary Clinton’s speech in which she suspended her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and referred to the Glass Ceiling stating, ‘it’s got about 18 million cracks in it’. Women are working painstakingly every day to break through. With each crashing reverberation we add more cracks until eventually the Glass Ceiling will fall.

Vanessa Chappelear. Fractured Glass Ceiling. 2012. Fabric, yarn, straight pins, fishing line. 84 x 52 inches.

My inspiration was the plight of women who, throughout the ages, have been forced by circumstances into a life of prostitution. A lovely young woman stands in an alley, a shadowed open doorway in the background. Contrasted with her glowing beauty is the griminess of the alley, of her profession, and the dark passage of her remembrances. She rests a tired foot on her vacated shoe. Behind her is a toy monkey a small, sinister harbinger of the uncertainty of her fate.

Christine Cianci. A Cautionary Tale. 2012. Birch panel. 24 x 36 inches.

Discovering that many local young women had no exposure to women’s history or rights, I reflected on the women who had mentored me directly or by example including Judy Chicago, with her power tool classes and her focus on women’s core and women’s historical contributions. Honoring these women and creating gatherings in which women of all ages could mentor each other and discuss history and rights became the vision for my sculptural installation Ancestresses & Wise Women.

Sherri Cornett. Ancestresses & Wise Women ‘Judy’. 2008. Steel, wood, ceramic, quilting, text, ribbon, laminated paper, beads, tools, work gloves, tampons. 84 x 25 x 18 inches.

When one thinks of fiber art what comes to mind is ‘Women’s Work’. Rooted in feminism, this artwork looks at women and the issues and events that challenge their lives. In each piece, you will usually find a woman, and/or a word, phrase, or symbol that expresses a feeling about a particular experience, symbolic of the desire for women to always have their own voice. Private diary pages, these visual fragments are past and present empowering views that look at gender, strength, and social philosophy of women’s rights today.

Linda Rae Coughlin. No, Watch Your Back. 2010. Hand dyed recycled fabric strips, linen foundation, upholstery wedding. 33 x 30 inches.

Foosball relates women’s power and privilege to the amount of space they are allotted in the world. In this painting, women mindlessly protect their space but damage each other and themselves in the process.

Rose Anne Critchfield. Foosball. 2010. Oil on linen. 24 x 28 inches.

To see the truth of where we are in our struggle for equality, we must first look to the marginalized segments of our population. What Part of All II, examines three social conditions for marginalized women: Violence, Prison and Poverty juxtaposing them each to the other and to the current state of the legislation impacting our still very long road to equality. Set against the backdrop of a US flag, this piece looks deeper at the faces and the underlying politics of women’s issues today.

Debra Dake-Morrell. What Part of All II. 2012. Acrylic and paper on canvas. 30 x 48 inches.

So many times as a little girl, you experience moments of despair about how you look, what boys like about you, and how to satisfy everyone. You don’t always see yourself as a beautiful being because the imagery that defines beauty may not look like you, sound like you, or feel like you. What this piece comes down to is an actual respect for the feminine spirit, mind, and body; which will happen by challenging the stereotypes, demands, and injustices placed upon women.

Janet E. Dandridge. Flow. 2010. Fine art digital print . 17 x 29 inches.

I delight in welding nails. I feel a sense of empowerment as my work treads upon a traditionally male domain. My nails are renegades, joined only to each other by welding; their originally intended purpose shunned—no hammer, no wood. No longer constrained by the preconception of what a nail should do, these nails ascend freely, forming a lacelike, feminine structure. In their re-imagined role they symbolize the possibilities open to both women and men when we are able to re-imagine our gender roles.

Lynn Dau. Endless Possibilities. 2012. Welded steel nails. 74 x 28 x 17 inches.

I was afraid at first. I started with an angle grinder, then moved on to saws and sanders, and eventually found my way to the plasma cutter and welder. Now I know why they are called "power" tools and it’s not because you plug them in. With them I am powerful; I master wood, metal and stone. This power was once reserved for males; females were either discouraged or barred from taking shop classes. In this work masculine and feminine combine to express my hope for a future where strong female voices comprise half the dialogue.

Lynn Dau. Thirty-three Prayers. 2012. Laminated wood, newspaper, scrap paper, and ink jet print. 20 x 46 x24 inches with plaque 11 x 8.5 inches.

Weddings are generally looked upon as marking the beginning of a new life; a traditional wedding dress is steeped in symbolism. The true icons in the lives of women who are subject to domestic abuse and "honor" killings present a stark contrast. From inequality and discrimination, to women beaten or killed for not fulfilling domestic "duties" or for wearing makeup. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women are victims of violence. Forever hold our peace? No!

Anahi DeCanio. Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece. 2009. Frame, archival mat, photograph of original installation of textiles, paper, ink, found objects. 20 x 24 inches.

Having grown up in an era when doors of opportunity were being opened for women everywhere, I never gave a second thought about my freedom of choice and a successful path in life. In the last decade, there has been a roar from conservatives and the religious right wing in the relentless obsession to control women’s bodies and deny equality. Reproductive freedom, women’s health, and the Fair Pay Act are again in jeopardy. We need to send a message. This painting is my response to recent attacks on women’s rights.

Debra Dobkin. THE PATH. 2011. Oil on wood. 12 x 12.

Like most American women I consumed vast amounts of pop culture imagery, and images of how to be female lay all around me. What did it mean to be a woman in the wake of the Women’s Movement? For me, there was a resulting ambivalence, towards femininity on one hand and feminism on the other. Aware of these contradictions, young women are conscious not only of inequality but of how our identities have been fragmented as a result of being female in America.

Sally Edelstein. A Storm’s Approaching. 2011. Collage composed of appropriated mass media imagery. 20 x 24 inches.

Calm, equanimity, compassion and grace are four points of honor in these sculptures of strong women; women revealed as emanations of Buddha.

Anita Feng. A Wise Woman Wears Clouds For Wings. 2011. Raku, clay, epoxy, chain. 17 x 17 x 7 inches.

The impetus of this work was based on the awareness of women’s plight in the Mideast; our mutual bonds as women; and, of course, our differences. Women in our global culture can be caught off balance, often isolated from nature and each other. However we have more in common than we think we remain sisters wherever we live, and hopefully we all have a home.

Christine Fogel. A House Is Not a Home. 2006. Multiple materials. 14 x 7 x 5 inches.

This image was taken in Beijing during the Fourth UN World Conference on Women. Women from over 180 countries came together to improve basic human rights of women globally. This experience was life-changing, creating a deep connection: a lasting sense of responsibility and collective empowerment. The personal was political. Seventeen years later we still struggle for the basic human right to control our own bodies and to keep them from harm. Until all women have this right, none of us are free.

Christine Giancola. Forbidden. 1995. Black and white digital print. 20 x 16 inches.

broken dreams, our living dreams our lives as women.

We are Guerilla Gowns, a group founded in the roots of relational art utilizing the elements of surprise performances in order to engage an audience and expand the discussion of feminine power with a contemporary approach emphasizing a quieter aesthetic. In this performance, in which artists are clothed in bridal gowns, we create a metaphoric event. This symbolizes a woman’s ability to dream and to manifest dreams transforming our pasts, presents and futures by tapping into a liminal state between thought and action.

Guerrilla Gowns. Guerrilla Gowns in Circle Formation & Captive Audience. 2012. The objects chosen represent our

~20 minutes.

"The hair is the richest ornament of women" said Martin Luther and a women’s hair has been a key issue in religious control. Women’s hair has served as a signifier of class, gender, conformity or non-conformity, authority and power throughout history. With hair donated from 27 women, I am refuting religious teachings: that women are to be subservient to a husband or the men in their lives—the supposed rulers of women.

Karen Gutfreund. I Will Not Be Shorn. 2009. Mixed media on canvas, embroidery with women’s hair, cement glaze and collage. 37 x 37 inches.

This artwork was inspired by the daily struggles for equality and rights women endure. Transcending the Barrier conveys the positive energy that women use to overcome the barriers of prejudice and sexism. My hope is that my art will serve as an inspiration to women to continue overcoming barriers as well as continuing to speak for women’s rights.

C Hamelin. Transcending The Barrier. 2012. Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper. 22 x 18 inches.

My work is about women embracing who they are, and their triumph over adversity by evolving through complications. Feminism is about allowing women the full range of human experience without barriers. By owning who I am with strength, and nurturing my multi-faceted self in my autobiographical narrative, I join my visual voice with other women artists to create a diverse reflection of the collective feminist vision.

Sharon Harper. The Witnesses. 2008. Acrylic, graphite, wood. 24 x 24 inches.

My work is about women embracing who they are, and their triumph over adversity by evolving through complications. Feminism is about allowing women the full range of human experience without barriers. By owning who I am with strength, and nurturing my multi-faceted self in my autobiographical narrative, I join my visual voice with other women artists to create a diverse reflection of the collective feminist vision.

Sharon Harper. Central Core. 2010. Acrylic, ink, graphite, maps, mylar, collage, wood. 19 x 12 inches.

For ten years I have explored the global struggles and triumphs of Women’s Rights, resulting in the series Portraits: Beyond Boundaries. This series is a revelation that we are all connected; a mosaic of international portraits and a global tribute to women who have stepped outside their boundaries to courageously pursue their dreams and move forward the message of Women’s Rights.

Andrea Harris. Portraits: Beyond Boundaries, Aung San Suu Kyi. 2008. Oil and cold wax on canvas. 24 x 24 inches.

Sisters in Spirit began with rubbings of tombstones and plaques honoring our founding mothers as new constellations inhabiting an ancient sky. In the continuum of history, places and ideas change, yet a tangible quality remains. My project knits together the past while engaging the present in seeking an elusive balance with permanence. Reflecting on Abigail’s prophetic words, Lydia’s brave ride, and Molly in the heat of battle, I see the seeds of the freedoms I enjoy today as an American woman and artist.

Patter Hellstrom. Compassion. 2002. Graphite, rice paper, acrylic paint on canvas. 72 x 48 inches.

Like the tall, thin palm trees that punctuate the open vistas along California’s freeways, I imagined these as tall and sinuous women with big hair. From a distance, they seemed to converse with each other. As I passed them on my long commutes they became like girlfriends, sympathetic to the grind of my personal struggle. At some point I found myself reconstituting this imagining into portraits.

Patricia Hulin. Companions. 2005. Forged steel and cast bronze. 6 x 1 feet each.

WHO ARE YOU TO BE BRILLIANT smacks hard at the core issue of women being hushed, or told to shut up, zip it and forget about it. Women have been assigned to the back row, back seat and second class. This image asks the question ‘Who are you to be brilliant?’, then answers, "I AM WOMAN. I count. I am smart. I have a lot to say!" I was motivated by Marianne Williamson’s poem and Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inaugural presidential address, as well as my own life circumstances.

Patricia Izzo. WHO ARE YOU TO BE BRILLIANT?. 2009. Cold press water colour. 20 x 24 inches.

In this work I have a prominent single female figure, an “archetype.” This single female image was inspired by my mother and my grandmother before her; women who, by circumstance, had to be strong and depended on themselves in a world run by men. The women in my works wear the veil to give them identity. The writing on the piece comes from letters Mom had written me from Iraq during the war in 1997. They are written in Arabic because we were not allowed to learn our mother tongue in Iraq.

Lahib Jaddo. Mom’s Letter Two. 2010. Wood and Fabric. 36 x 24 inches.

My artwork relates to the continuing struggle women experience in a still male dominated art world. Into The Light shows woman coming from the darkness of non-recognition into equality. She exists in the center and then vanishes into obscurity again as the struggle for equality continues.

Elaine Jason. Into The Light. 2012. Digital prints on painted masonite with neon mounted on frame. 24 x 80 x 4 inches.

Joy Johnson. Patience-The Sisterhood. 2011. Wood and mixed media. 48 x 8 x 8 inches.

Patience-The Sisterhood symbolizes the strength a woman gathers from the love and support of the sisterhood.

Joy Johnson. Ties That Bind - The Sisterhood. 2011. Wood and mixed media. 72 x 96 x 8 inches.

In parallel with ‘art cars’, this is an ‘art purse’. It is shaped like a womb for all the world to see and has windows so interested parties can see what is inside. The windows represent various groups’ concerns: tax write-off, cannon fodder, fertility and the magic 8-ball that determines if a fetus is present. And yes, there is a removable fetus inside, or not that’s my business.

Judy Johnson-Williams. Womb Of My Own. 2008. Fabric, plastic, luggage strap, doodads. 30 x 30 x 9 inches.

The juxtaposition created by placing various but distinct paintings next to each other creates a narrative of emotions for the viewer to follow and interpret. The relationships within the paintings display changing moods as they both starkly contrast each other, yet cohesively complement the piece in its entirety. Kahn finds that the emerging interactions between painterly fragments point to the significance of meaning found in between comparisons rather than in simply viewing a single painting.

Jamy Kahn. His Story As He Told It. 2010. Acrylic on canvas. 37.5 x 83 inches.

The Constrained Bloom paintings examines stresses on women’s identity, creativity, lives. This painting grapples with the duality and complexity of experience as an artist and gives form to the tension that results from seeking personal expression while inhibited and bound by life’s constraints, and develops imagery for the perpetual fight with one’s own creative limitation while suggesting the overwhelming potential lying in wait. This work seeks form to express struggle and life’s fragility, contradictions and inscrutability.

Linda Pearlman Karlsberg. Constrained Bloom IV. 2009. Oil paint on gessoed panel. 18 x 24 inches.

Samurai Mama Goddessis part of a series of sculptures dedicated to women as Goddesses. All of them have wings, representing the freedom of flight in terms of ideas, choices and movement. All of them have breasts, representing sensuality and the ability to feed and nurture her offspring. As for the significance of the bird’s head, I still have to search my soul to find the real meaning. Samurai Mama Goddess represents the warrior, mother/animal ready to fly for her dreams and fight to protect her children and her beliefs. The author of the photograph of this piece is Sibila Savage.

Flavia (FIFA) Krasilchik. Samurai Mama Goddess. 2011. Stoneware, coil and slab built, glaze and underglaze, fired at high temperature (cone 10). 56 x 16 x 13 inches.

Release is an installation about the physical and sexual abuse of women in our family. It’s about the releasing of these memories over a lifetime.

Olga Lah. Release. 2012. Polyester fabric. Variable.

Lu Lee. The Mutants Environment. 2012. Intaglio and graphite. 22 x 19 inches.

With her energy depleted, she is asking, please just look. This second mono print is asking you just to look at her world. Her energy is depleted from the struggle to be noticed, and she is asking for your attention quietly and softly. Take note: If the apathy continues, the result will be withdrawal, and then nothing.

She is asking with all her energy to be seen. This mono print is my attempt for the viewer to get what it’s like to experience indifference and apathy as an artist and a woman. My medium of choice is printmaking. Not only is the printed line beautiful, the process results in multiples that can be used in a story line which isn’t stagnate, but moves from one image to the next with similarities.

Lu Lee. Look a Mutant. 2012. Intaglio and graphite. 22 x 19 inches.

Terri Lloyd. The Vessels Of Life Are Not Tools For The Destruction Of Societies. 2009. Archival print, 100% cotton rag, UV plexi, maple frame. 53 x 41 inches.

The vessels of life are not tools of destruction for societies. The image is an iconic propaganda statement illustrating the resistance of women against conquest political, religious, or based on gender.

Nalyne Lunati. Living with Endometriosis. 2012. Video installation. 4 min 6 sec.

I felt strongly that this piece needs to be a dance performance instead of a painting which is my usual media. The video you see is after I had a major 3 1/2 hours of surgery for Endometriosis. This video represents how endometriosis restricts my movement and weighs me down physically and emotionally.

I am interested in how society determines criminality, and how this perception shifts as society evolves. These mixed media paintings (consisting of pulverized charcoal and mica) are based on SFPD mug shots of women arrested for prostitution women whose jobs were seduction, while enduring dangerous fates. Working with these photos of female “criminals”, who had clearly been victims of physical assault themselves, began raising questions about situations in which the perceived “criminal” may, in fact, be the “victim”.

Monica Lundy. 0-2580. 2012. Pulverized charcoal, mica flake and gel medium on Fabriano paper. 35 x 26 inches.

Discerning artists speak about humanity fluently, with great awe and reverence. By carefully studying the combination of unselfish generosities in the giving from experience of artists, a rich blend of lives converse. This work, Generosity, was formed as part of the artist's Virtues series (also including Fortitude, Patience and Forbearance). All of these Virtues are indeed important to artists—but I believe that in the end there are countless generosities made which form the soul of what it means to be an artist. This work is homage to those who have carried the heavy ethical responsibility of discourse, and unselfishly gave more of themselves than is required of the occupation alone.

Linda Williams McCune. Generosity. 2008. Assemblage. 52 x 16 x 8 inches.

I use the female tree figures in my art as symbolic figures for concepts, feelings, and ideas. I have always felt a great connection with trees and the female form. I have seen this image since I was a child and only through my art am I able to give these images life. Empty in Her Shadow is part of my ‘Learning to be a Phenomenal Woman’ series and was painted with Women’s Rights in mind.

Kelsey McDonnell. Empty in Her Shadow. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 24 x 30 inches.

Like an alchemist turning lead into gold, I transform this detritus into a story, a setting or a series of relationships. Many of my pieces reference the human or animal body, with stand-ins for the head, the body (or vessel) and feet/legs. My newest work is more sculptural and larger than previous works, while still examining issues that matter to me. Though trained in art, I work in a stream-of-consciousness manner allowing the meaning of each piece to unfold through my manipulation of each disparate part.

Barbara McIntyre. Bookish One. 2012. Assemblage. 33 x 12 x 12 inches.

Since the 20th century, both World War I and WWII have demonstrated in Europe and in United states that women were essential to maintain economical activity. Both paintings, Minimum Wage and Monday Morning are a tribute to these women who, by their labor and courage, have shown that their contribution to society was as important as men’s. I wanted to express strength and determination.

Erika Meriaux. Minimum Wage. 2008. Oil on linen. 16 x 20 inches.

Erika Meriaux. Monday Morning. 2008. Oil on linen. 18 x 24 inches.

From the purity of the white flower in her hair to the integrity shown plainly in her face, Rosa Parks embodied the brave spirit of courage in the African American struggle to defy laws that prevented true freedom. She confronted the fear of arrest or death with a calm grace that made her historical act of peaceful resistance a testament to the power of women.

Jennifer Mondfrans. Rosa Parks. 2007. Water-soluble wax pastel and acrylic on canvas. 18 x 24 inches.

Honoring Women’s Rights is associated with long fought privileges of citizenship. That is the visible fruit of the labor the roots of the effort tap deep into the very presence of women (and men) on the earth. In Buddhism, Tara is known as the ‘mother of liberation’ whose success in work often draws on compassion. We can do no less.

Sandra Mueller. Tara. 2012. Archival Chroma Print, Edition of 5. 15 x 13 inches.

In El Salvador, I bore witness to women persevering in a country at war. Visiting the country in 1988 I was surprised to meet with many women, like the Mothers of the Disappeared, who held the hope described by Vaclav Havel, which does not predict that what you do will turn out well, but that what you are doing makes sense no matter how things turn out. They were curiously cheerful! I found also that women and children suffer terribly in any war. As a member of a peace church, I redoubled my personal efforts to oppose wars.

Myrrh. Aguas Negras. 1989. Acrylic on raw plywood. 48 x 24 x 75 inches.

Melissa Nelson. The Understatement: Boys Will Be Boys But Girls Will Be Women. 2010. Clay, acrylic. 9.75 x 10 x 10 inches.

The Understatement: Boys will be boys, but girls will be women’ is a testament piece to the female trajectory. Beyond the truth and humor, there remains the fact that we are bound together by our sameness and the struggles that lie therein, regardless of what separates, defines or distinguishes us from one another.

Janice Nesser. not made in her mother’s image. 2009. Plastic baby dolls, clothing patterns, embroidery thread, fabric pattern on canvas, gel medium. 16 x 16 inches.

My series From the blood of my grandmother melds quilting and embroidery with dress patterns, altered books, photographs and found objects in an investigation of familial relationships, cultural taboos and their place in the formation of identity.

I use sculpture to investigate the impact that shifting cultural pressures have on the lives of women. This work speaks to excess and longing. Past the time when we were galvanized to beat the recession and the time when we were divided by "Occupy", stuck in the sameness of strife and waiting, don’t we all just want a little indulgence? Today there are cupcakes everywhere, rising in defiance of continually failing personal economies, as if for each of us there is always going to be MORE.

Mary O’Brien. MORE. 2012. Ceramic. 5.25 x 20 x 14 inches.

I use sculpture to investigate and represent cultural shifts, and I inquire into the impact that social transitions and shifting cultural pressures have on the lives of a growing number of women. This work is part of a series that delves into contemporary social issues and is inspired by objects and icons of everyday domestic life. Waste or want? What could a bag of lemons do to help the hungry? Does the gesture do more for the giver or receiver?

Mary O’Brien. Squeezed (Waste-Want). 2010. Ceramic. 24 x 12 x 7 inches.

These sculptures are rooted in the context of the human figure, as I find this to be an endless resource of inspiration and expression. My figurative sculptures involve socio-political, spiritual and personal themes. The expressionist style of my work is used to present various physiological states of mind and spirit. It is through the relationship of reality and imagination that these works come into being. Aspects of humanity are interpreted in varied states of consciousness.

Colleen O’Donnell. Walking Woman. 2011. Bronze. 10 x 7 x 3 inches.

This work is composed to call attention to ongoing physical and mental abuse towards women in our society. The subject is not a popular one, ignored by mass media for more entertaining stories and continues to cast women in a powerless mode, hampering any real progress towards their rights. In order to be equal in society, women must first be freed from their role as victim. Giving faces to these hidden women is to help expose domestic abuse, bring it to the forefront for change.

Patrushka. Out The Door. 2011. Oil on wood. 12 x 12 inches.

This work is composed to call attention to ongoing physical and mental abuse towards women in our society. The subject is not a popular one, ignored by mass media for more entertaining stories and continues to cast women in a powerless mode, hampering any real progress towards their rights. In order to be equal in society, women must first be freed from their role as victim. Giving faces to these hidden women is to help expose domestic abuse, bring it to the forefront for change.

Patrushka. Black and Blue. 2011. Oil on wood. 14 x 11 inches.

In my wildest dreams this artwork would wake up the twenty and thirty-somethings about the lack of equal opportunity for women. Composed in one session, the partial list of women’s rights imposed on this acrylic work on canvas spans the spectrum of feminine/human interests and concerns. We all have the right to make and live by our own list. Pass the Equal Rights Amendment!

Jane Peterman. The Right To. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 36 x 36 inches.

My art chronicles my adventures in the wilderness and through life. I use embroidery to communicate provocative environmental and social issues. I present quantitative information in an unusual combination of stitched text and graphics. The work provides a novel opportunity to consider the scientific and historic context inherent in current events and social questions.

Bonnie Peterson. Testimony. 2012. Embroidery and transfers on vintage embroidered textile. 16 x 31 inches.

Roxanne Phillips. Boundaries II. 2007. Etching, pen. 12 x 38 inches.

In my life I have learned to know the difference between what you really want and what you need. Boundary II represents the idealized picket fence (want) with the word ‘happiness’ (need) repeatedly written over it.

As a traditional Armenian woman she lived a life of servitude and dedication to her family. Her overworked hands served mainly others. The painting celebrates a period in her life when, as a widow hence less burdened she could freely smile and pose with her hands firmly on herself. Seen in the background is a portrait of her deceased beloved husband former master who, by the weight of tradition, was the focus of her life. She alone is now the focus. Her hands serve no master. Women’s rights start at home.

Lynda A. N. Reyes. Amzan and Api. 2010. Oil on canvas. 30 x 40 inches.

Warnings to my daughters: If you ever need to take hormone pills, you may be called names. You can be whatever you want to be, but you may not get paid as much as men who do the same thing. If you live overseas like your grandfather and father did, you may need to bring a black body covering for the desert sun (and you might not be allowed to drive to the store to get one once you are there). If you have children, be careful of what doctor you go to, and never let them tell you that your milk is poison.

Heather Rios. Your Milk Is Poison And Your Mother’s Milk Is Poison. 2012. Oil and graphite on wood. 12 x 12 inches.

Art for me is the venue to express my feelings of happiness, love, grief and anger—things that I feel on a daily basis. My art has allowed me to have a more powerful voice in the world and certainly be heard as a woman.

Launa D. Romoff. Truth. 2012. Paper, paint, acetate, silk. 18 x 14 inches.

My images depict women who speak out about freedom and human rights, and represent female voices that cannot be silenced. On International Women’s Day, women demonstrating for equal rights in the workplace hung banners across the Statue’s facade. Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to nonviolent change in Burma, spent 15 out of 22 years locked under house arrest. She was released in 2010 and in 2012 was elected to the Parliament.

Trix Rosen. Our Lady - Aung San Suu Kyi. 1996. Fine art exhibition inkjet paper with archival pigmented inks. 11 x 14 inches.

My grandmother made wedding gowns for a living and I used to play with her scrap bag as a little girl. I was intrigued by the way the satin gathered in and poufed out. In my drawings, the folds in the fabric of the skirt’s bustle are a metaphor of the flaps and crevices of my psychological landscape that reveal and conceal. Growing up in a dysfunctional family where the truth was denied, I had to find a way to express my real thoughts somehow.

Nicole Rubio. Bustle 9. 2012. Pastel on paper. 22 x 30 inches.

A symbolic portrait of Nina Simone, showing both power and turbulence within the iconic jazz singer, whose music created a wrenching cry for the disenfranchised in our society but whose bi-polar disorder caused volatile outbursts, marring her own life. During the Civil Rights Era, Simone’s lyrics furthered the revolutionary movement by confronting the darkest of topics including lynching, murder, and racial stereotype in order to break through established patterns of behavior as a means of fostering social and political change.

Joanne Beaule Ruggles. Lady Midnight. 2010. Acrylic paint, chalk, charcoal and collage on canvas. 24 x 18 inches.

Ancient mother, fertile goddess, magical totem of abundance—at what moment did you lose your voice? When was your power stripped from your form? Potent milkmaid, how did the promise of your endless breasts manage to run dry? Your memory has been lost and found; lost and found; lost and found, but all too often lost again. Ancient hands help us to recall, to invoke your forgotten name, and bring us together again in order to reclaim our collective strength.

Joanne Beaule Ruggles. Ancient Hands: The Past Informs the Future. 2010. Acrylic paint, chalk, charcoal and collage on canvas. 20 x 20 inches.

Because I have a mixed heritage (Spanish and Anglo) the search for identity has driven much of my work. What I could always count on was being female and an artist. Self Portrait With Blue Eyed Doll represents the blonde, blue eyed ideal I struggled against, to assimilate and individuate.

Dixie Salazar. Self Portrait With Blue Eyed Doll. 2010. Oil. 28 x 28 inches.

My paintings explore both the regulation and victimization of women that persists due to religious dogma and patriarchal control as well as the successes that have and can still be achieved by women. Each painting begins as a theatrical still life arrangement and becomes a powerful social statement. Dolls are the most important symbolic element in my work because dolls are both familiar and powerful icons that represent very specific ideas. Through my work I hope to create awareness and to open dialogue for change.

Jodi Schulz. We Can Drive! 2011. Oil on canvas. 24 x 18 inches.

Rose Sellery. The Lost Math Years. 2006. Wood, digital print, fabric, acrylic medium, math book pages. 48 x 18 x 15 inches.

This child-size paper doll represents the assertion that “girls can’t do math.” Studies have explored the reasons young girls, who previously excelled in math and science, turn away from these subjects predominantly around the age of puberty. The move away from these fields of study is overwhelmingly based on sociological issues.

Based on the remembrance of the weighted, inflatable punching bags that when struck bounced back for more. A dress, demure and resilient, depicts the continued plight of a woman tyrannized by a man’s fists. Her misplaced apologies mingle with his, and his promise to never do it again.

Rose Sellery. Punching Bag. 2007. Steel, paint and one thousand apologies on paper. 58.5 x 31 x 31 inches.

In Mary’s Power I depict my grandmother, who supported her family by ironing clothes. The sharpened dowels depict her strength and her prickliness. I honor the women who do physically demanding domesticated labor without much recognition. My art represents the everyday female that does what she needs to support her children and the challenges she faces.

Judy Shintani. Mary’s Power. 2004. Ironing board, dowels, clothing. 5 x 6 x 3 inches.

I seek to create work whose presence offers the viewer a type of empathy, one found within the comforting recognition of a shared experience. Using both nature and culture, I explore the power of unspoken thoughts and emotions. In Slow Goin’, a wry self-portrait, I stand in for ‘Anywoman’ as she searches for the source of her empowerment. Slow Goin’ speaks to the patience required for all worthy endeavors, as well as a gentle, humorous reminder to myself to allow my development as an artist to unfold in its own time.

Cynthia Siegel. Slow Goin’. 2010. White stoneware, slips, underglazes, glaze. 38 x 24 x 14 inches.

We are all confronted on a daily basis with the fragmentation of our non-linear lives trying, as in a puzzle, to make all the pieces fit together to make sense of it all. The multi-dimensionality and multi-layering of my work reference what one must uncover to penetrate the illusions of reality and reach the mystery and essence of the soul. Through my concern for women’s harmony, balance, order and spirituality I hope we can achieve and honor all women’s rights.

Marlene Siff. Turning Point. 1994. Acrylic on Linen. 66.5 x 53.5 x19 inches.

We are thankful that a movement has started bringing awareness of this social injustice to the world’s attention! What will you do? I hope ask questions about this atrocity happening to women in our country. Women are being raped because they are immigrants working in our fields, these women are fearful to come forward afraid of being deported, they are outraged that this is how business is conducted in the United States of America. Show them we do not stand for social injustice against women! Get involved in the Bandana Project.

Bonnie J. Smith. Bandana Project. 2012. Cotton fabrics, cotton batting, polyester threads, photo transfer, ink. 24 x 18 inches.

In the body of work, Daily Strength, the artist wishes to pay homage to the often underestimated Power and Strength of the everyday things women carry and bear, while exploring the internal and external idea of Woman Powerful defining issues of undefined identity. Sowell-Zak’s work reflects her fascination in the meaning that resides in the unspoken language of the body, as a universal understanding between people, which connects them beyond life.

Elizabeth Sowell-Zak. Daily Strength: On The Way. 2010. Oil on Canvas. 72 x 42 inches.

My inspiration began on the 8th of March, 2011, when a demonstration commemorating International Women’s Day in Cairo’s Tahir Square turned ugly. Watching the women in the streets, defiant , against all odds and fearless in the face of a paternalistic society that heretofore had denied them even their voice, touched something deep inside of me and I began to paint what has become a body of work called Let Our Voices Emerge. This is the first painting, We R 1, in that series.

Olga Stamatiou. We R 1. 2012. Oil on linen. 36 x 47 inches.

I am a woman living in the 21st century and much of my privilege comes from the work of women before me. I recognize that we have come a long way in actualizing women’s rights, though there is still a lot that I am left wanting. The internal struggle I feel between becoming who I am and being who I should be is enormous and confusing. Through my work I am examining the internal struggles and darkness I face as I continue to find my place in the world; one where I can accept who I am and leave behind everything else.

Rebecca Stern. Wait Waist. 2009. Photo lithographs, machine stitching, and hook and eye closures on paper. 40 x 37.5 inches.

This image speaks to the fact that forces outside of ourselves want to control and enslave our bodies. The result is women living their lives as an automaton instead of their true selves, or as someone else’s opinion of what is right for their body.

Deborah Mills Thackrey. Metropolis. 2004. Archival pigment print. 20 x 24 inches.

True Beauty arose out of sincere desire to know and be closer to inspiring women. For me this means women who have stepped forward and lived boldly as themselves, and/or advocated for themselves or the safety and well being of others. This work portrays women confronting the viewer, in the act of advocating and/or protesting offenses. It defies the traditional portrait gaze by idolizing the actions or deeds of women instead of their bodies, creating images of beauty based on character and commitment.

Sheila Metcalf Tobin. True Beauty: Testifying, Anita Hill. 2012. Charcoal powder and sticks on gold mica prepared paper. 15 x 22 inches.

Slow Journey is about the struggle for equal rights from the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement through current-day politics. Scenes from past demonstrations are displayed on the wagon.

Lynne Todaro. Slow Journey. 2012. Bronze and brass. 6 x 10 x 4 inches.

Honoring Women’s Rights speaks to a state of awareness beyond the postmodern preoccupation with the transcendent, where the most ordinary experiences can be elevated and viewed as extraordinary. In women’s lives, the banal can be juxtaposed with concepts, which are more often appropriated to the realm of the sublime. The concept of honor can create a substantive counterpoint directed toward a humanistic truth, and awareness of the social, cultural, economic and political context in which honor exists.

Orlonda Uffre. Demokrasi Pepe. 1998. Acrylic on canvas. 48 x 48 inches.

I was immediately struck by the calm, comfort and intimacy of the friendship between the two women. I wondered about their thoughts on this journey a ceremony to witness and relive ancestral memories as one looked inward, and the other looked ahead. Then my aesthetic eye kicked in, to revel in the textures and semblance of the chiaroscuro of the moment: a balance of black and white, set against the hues of swirling grey, cloudy skies, and deep turbulent waters.

Orlonda Uffre. Ferry to Goree. 1991. Acrylic on canvas. 24 x 32 inches.

Cristina Velazquez. Women Must Bear Children, Women Must Clean The House, and Women Must Cook. 2009. Mixed media. 48 x 24 x 3, 64 x 26, 52 x 29 x 5 inches.

Everything is a must for women. I must accomplish many chores in my life that benefit other people. These responsibilities I wear like aprons over my dress. A dress for every occasion in my life, each represents a task or an attitude I must posses. In this collection I exposed all different roles I must be successful at as a woman: I must bear children, I must clean the house, I must cook, I must be beautiful, I must keep good hygiene, I must have the right measurements, I must be a saint, I must be a healer, I must be.

This concrete pair of women have each had a strong impact in their families for nearly one century. Their lives and tribulations have been marked by both struggle and joy. At times, they have meant no more than a number, all the while taking our heritage back to the very first matriarchal goddesses. They are, above all, a solid reminder of the ease with which power can be lost and regained in a myriad of ways and, ultimately, never far from home.

Silvia Wagensberg. Margarita. 2012. Acrylic on vinyl. 36 x 48 inches.

Silvia Wagensberg. Helcha. 2012. Acrylic on vinyl. 48 x 48 inches.

With the steadily growing awareness of how dis-connected we are from our planet, more images of the feminine and the divine feminine surface. It fascinates me to watch and respond to this re-weaving of culture through my paintings. My work in the world is about shifting people’s perspective and healing our connection to our creativity and our planet. My intention is to create containers for opportunity moving women back into their powerful role as culture creators.

Annette Wagner. Mohawk Warrior Woman. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 36 x 24 inches.

I have always been intrigued with consumerism and its effect on the definition of beauty. While the woman in this piece posed nude, I have merged elements—the nude traditional African woman with the Western dress wrap (a possibility now with encroaching consumerism)—the absurdity or sensibility of which is ultimately up to the viewer.

Susan Wangari Mathenge. African Woman in Red Wrap. 2012. Acrylic on canvas. 22 x 28 inches.

The Power Apron was born as a tribute to terrific friend, philanthropist, wife, mother, and feminist Jacki Zehner. A picture on Facebook, a hint that her friend "Gloria" should have one as well, and a limited edition of the aprons became part of Ms. Magazine’s 40th anniversary celebration. The Power Apron is my expression of gratitude for these women.

Susan Weaver. The Power Apron. Fiber. 2012. *

There is a segment of history within this country that is rich with strength, tenacity, and perseverance— actions that created a social revolution and changes that we continue to enjoy today. Freedom is a tribute to Rosa Parks. With passion and a firm belief that change was not only possible, but necessary, she served as a symbolic agent of change for generations to come. One person can also serve as a positive symbol to effect social change. A woman keeps her seat on the bus and a social revolution is born.

Tamara White. Freedom. 2008. Acrylic, paper, wax. 36 x 36 inches.

Reformed Whores (Katy Frame and Marie Cecile Anderson). I’m a Slut. 2012. Video. 3:47 minutes .*

We have been quite irritated by the trend in certain media outlets to distort and exaggerate news events as demonstrated by Rush Limbaugh’s nasty attack on Sandra Fluke. The notion that someone who was just voicing her opinion on why birth control should be covered in a student insurance plan would be called a slut was beyond us. We figured if a well educated, well spoken young woman who stands up for a woman’s right to adequate health care was a slut, then lord knows that would make us one too. Might as well spread the word.

I have been focused on two main themes. One focuses on internal grief and the other on finding beauty. The internal considers gender and race related traumas. The second part, finding beauty, is a gathering process that heals the soul and brings splendor where it has been lost. The Faces are all portraits of myself. Each image is a small element in a longer personal narrative.

Tammy Jo Wilson. Faces. 2012. Photography. 9 x 11 x 14 inches.

Flo Wong. My Mother’s Baggage. 1996. 6 suitcases, photos, text. variable.*

This suitcase assemblage reflects the impact of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Law, which forbade the entry of Chinese laborers wives and children, on Gee Suey Ting, the mother of artist Flo Oy Wong. When immigrating in 1933 as her husband’s sister, known as a paper sister, Gee claimed their daughters as nieces. She later entered into a fake marriage with a US citizen so that her American-born children could be legal. Wong is the offspring of her parents but carries the surname of her fake father.

Flo Wong. My Sister: Li Hong. 2008. Manniquin, coh rice sacks, sequins, beads, twigs, audio. variable.*

Flo Wong’s older developmentally challenged sister was married to an able-bodied/sound-mind man. This piece is about her marriage.

These threads that are sewn on my painting connect the past to the present and stand as a metaphor of the recognition of those women who paved the way before us and of those who will follow.

Marian Yap. White Threads. 2012. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas. 40 x 30 inches.

That which was once soft and pliable is now hard and sharp, unyielding. Once it was so very soft and smooth next to warm skin, but now is cold and unfamiliar; a thick layer like a carapace, offering inexplicable protection. It is a shield, impenetrable armor to wear out in the world.

Nancy Youdelman. Cocktail Armor. 2003. Mixed media. 37 x 21.5 x 3.5 inches.

Nancy Youdelman. Bound. 2008. Cast bronze. 5 x 9 x 4 inches.

ARTIST DIRECTORY

Aleta Aaron Atlanta, Georgia aleta2@mindspring.com

Suzanne Anan Belmar, New Jersey www.suzanneanan.com

Jill Andre Menlo Park, California www.jillandre.com

Salma Arastu Berkeley, California www.salmaarastu.com

Seda Baghdasarian Ventura, California sedacas@gmail.com

Ulla Barr San Clemente, California www.scwca.org/archives/ar/arPage.php?m=103838&s=a

Tessie Barrera-Scharaga San Jose, California www.tbsartstudio.com

Stephanie Beard Ventura, California beardcas@gmail.com

Deanna Beye San Jose, California www.TheAlamedaArtWorks.com

Marie Bezjian Glendale, California shbezjian@hotmail.com

Jennifer Bloomer San Francisco, California www.jenbloomer.net

Melody Brown Hermosa Beach, California www.melbrownstudio.weebly.com

Tracy Brown Tucson, Arizona www.tracybrownart.com

Donna Catanzaro Windham, New Hampshire www.donnacat.com

Vanessa Chappelear Delaware, Ohio vanessa_in_italy@yahoo.com

Christine Cianci San Francisco, California www.ccianciart.com

Sherri Cornett Billings, Montana www.sherricornett.com

Linda Rae Coughlin Warren, New Jersey www.theartrugs.com

Rose Anne Critchfield Orinda, California www.critchart.com

Debra Dake-Morrell San Jose, California www.Studiodakemorrell.com

Janet E. Dandridge Los Angeles, California www.janetedandridge.com

Lynn Dau Los Altos, California www.lynndau.com

Anahi DeCanio Commack, New York www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/anahi-decanio.html

Debra Dobkin Studio City, California www.art.debradobkin.com

Sally Edelstein South Huntington, New York www.sallyedelsteincollage.com

Anita Feng Issaquah, Washington www.etsy.com/shop/thebuddhabuilder

Christine Fogel Bronx, New York www.christinefogel.com

Christine Giancola Florissant, Missouri www.christinegiancolaphotography.com

Guerrilla Gowns

Rancho Santa Margarita, California www.facebook.com/GuerrillaGowns

Karen Gutfreund San Jose, California www.karengutfreund.com

C Hamelin Marina, California www.purplexiaart.com

Sharon Harper Springfield, Missouri www.art-design.missouristate.edu/sharper/

Andrea Harris Mundelein, Illinois www.AndreaHarris.com

Patter Hellstrom San Francisco, California www.patterhellstrom.com

Patricia Hulin San Jose, California phulin@comcast.net

Patricia Izzo Wyandottte, Michigan www.izzophotography.com

Lahib Jaddo lubbock, Texas www.lahibjaddo.com

Elaine Jason Tahoe City, California www.elainejason.com

Joy Johnson joyjohnson@hughes.net

Judy Johnson-Williams Oakland, California www.judyjohnson-williams.com

Jamy Kahn

Ventura, California www.jamykahn.com

Linda Pearlman Karlsberg Newton, Massachusetts www.lindapearlmankarlsberg

Flavia (FIFA) Krasilchik Alameda, California www.fkdesign.webs.com

Olga Lah Long Beach, California olgalah@gmail.com

Lu Lee Santa Cruz, California www.lulee.org

Terri Lloyd Los Angeles, California www.terrilloyd.net

Nalyne Lunati Pleasanton, California www.nalynelunati.com

Monica Lundy Oakland, California www.monicalundy.com

Susan Mathenge

San Leandro, California smathenge@gmail.com

Linda Williams McCune Greer, South Carolina www.southernartistry.org

Kelsey McDonnell Buffalo, Wyoming www.kelseymcdonnell.com

Barbara McIntyre Ventura, California www.bbmcintyre.com

Erika Meriaux San Bruno, California www.tinyurl.com/Emeriaux

Jennifer Mondfrans San Francisco, California www.jennifermondfrans.com

Sandra Mueller Malibu, California www.sandramueller.com

Myrrh Palo Alto, California www.myrrh-art-com

Melissa Nelson Asheville, North Carolina www.riverviewstation.com

Janice Nesser St. Louis, Missouri www.janicenesser.com

Mary O'Brien Fairfax, California www.maryobrienart.blogspot.com

Colleen O'Donnell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania www.sites.google.com/site/ colleenodonnellsculptor

Patrushka El Cerrito, California www.patrushka.net

Jane Peterman Palo Alto, California www.janepeterman.com

Bonnie Peterson Houghton, Michigan www.bonniepeterson.com

Roxanne Phillips St. Louis, Missouri www.roxannephillips.com

Reformed Whores Katy Frame and Marie Cecile Anderson New York, New York www.reformedwhores.com

Lynda A, N. Reyes Glendale, California www.Lyndaanreyes.com

Heather Rios Morgantown, West Virginia www.hwrios.tumblr.com

Launa D. Romoff Los Angeles, California www.launadromoff.com

Trix Rosen

Jersey City, New Jersey www.trixrosenArtphotography.com

Nicole Rubio

El Cerrito, California www.nicolerubio.com

Joanne Beaule Ruggles San Luis Obispo, California www.beaulerugglesgraphics.com

Dixie Salazar Fresno, California www.dixiesalazar.com

Jodi Schulz Ocala, Florida www.jodilurieschulzart.com

Rose Sellery Santa Cruz, California www.rosesellery.com

Judy Shintani El Granada, California www.judyshintani.com

Cynthia Siegel Santa Cruz, California www.cynthiasiegel.com

Marlene Siff Westport, Connecticut www.marlenesiff.com

Bonnie J. Smith San Jose, California www.bonniejofiberarts.com

Elizabeth Sowell-Zak New York, New York www.web.mac.com/esowellzak

Olga Stamatiou Beaufort, South Carolina www.olgastamatiou.com

Rebecca Stern

Stamford, Connecticut www.rebecca-stern.com

Deborah Mills Thackrey San Jose, California www.dmt-art.com

Sheila Metcalf Tobin Berkeley, California www.sheilametcalftobin.com

Lynne Todaro San Jose, California lynnetodaro@comcast.net

Orlonda Uffre Oakland, California www.orlondauffre.com

Orlonda Uffre Oakland, California www.orlondauffre.com

Cristina Velazquez Palo Alto, California www.cristinavelazquez.com

Silvia Wagensberg

Venice, California silvia.wagensberg@gmail.com

Annette Wagner Mountain View, California www.annettewagnerart.com

Tamara White

Oakland, California www.tamarawhite.com

Tammy Jo Wilson

Milwaukie, Oregon www.tammyjowilson.com

Marian Yap Pacifica, California www.marianyap.com

Nancy Youdelman Clovis, California www.nancyyoudelman

EXHIBITION COMMITTEE for HWR

Karen Gutfreund, WCA Exhibition Director

Trudi Chamoff Hauptman, Assistant Director

Mollie Dezern, Exhibition Editor and Administrative Assistant

WCA 2011-13 Board

Executive Committee

President

Priscilla Otani, Artist, Partner Arc Studios & Gallery, San Francisco, CA

President-Elect & WCA Chapter Community Initiative

Brenda Oelbaum, Artist, Independent Curator, Ann Arbor, MI

Treasurer/Secretary

Margaret Lutze, Adjunct Faculty, Northwestern, DePaul, and Loyola Universities, Chicago, IL

Vice President & Chair WCA National Exhibitions Initiative

Karen Gutfreund, Curator, Art Consultant, Artist, San Jose, CA

Past President & Chair WCA Legacy Initiative

Janice Nesser-Chu, Professor, Dir. of the Galleries & Perm. Collection, Florissant Valley College, St. Louis, MO

VP Chapter Relations

Ulla Barr, Artist, San Clemente, CA

VP Organizational Outreach

Ally Richter, Artist, Chair Palo Alto Public Art Commission

VP Development

Fay Grajower, Artist, Independent Curator, Member of Dreyfus Foundation Board of Advisors, Univ of PA

VP Special Events

Open

Staff Director of Operations - Karin Luner, Artist, Gallery Director, Dietzspace, NYC