3 minute read
Sarah Wilson's Work Looms Large Over Austin
Essentials
When COVID-19 forced the world into lockdown in March of 2020, Sarah Wilson ‘92, a multimedia storyteller, was one of the many people whose work was not considered “essential”, bringing it to a grinding halt.
With her work on pause, and sheltering in place with her family, Sarah spent a lot of time thinking about people who hadn’t, or rather couldn’t, stop working, what media and news outlets were calling “essential workers”. She thought particularly about women essential workers, knowing that many of them were also mothers. She thought about the nurses risking their health and the health of their children to care for sick patients, the food service workers putting in incredibly long hours, or public safety workers balancing increased work demand with
Essentials
or rather couldn’t, stop working, what media and news outlets were calling “essential workers”. She thought particularly about women essential workers, knowing that many of them were also mothers. She thought about the nurses risking their health and the health of their children to care for sick patients, the food service workers putting in incredibly long hours, or public safety workers balancing increased work demand with increased needs at home. It was on women that increased unpaid care work in lockdown, such as children homeschooling or elderly family members needing assistance, seemed to be falling.
As she considered all of these challenges, Sarah said, she became “especially grateful for the workers that are keeping
Sarah Wilson's '92 ESSENTIALS installation
our community safe and moving forward. I started to think about the women workers, many of whom were juggling responsibilities at home while facing this public health crisis due to their essential work. Inspired by these women, I felt an overwhelming need to recognize their courage.”
After much thought about how to recognize these women, Sarah conceived of a project she called ESSENTIALS, which was to be an interactive public art project honoring front-line women workers in Austin. These women would be photographed (in a safe outdoor setting), and then those portraits printed and pasted larger than life on different buildings around the city.
Sarah received initial funding from the Dougherty Arts Center and Austin's Museums & Cultural Program’s ArtsResponders: Social Practice Responds to COVID-19, and put out a call for nominations of women essential workers in Austin.
Of the more than 100 nominees she received, Sarah selected 15 women to photograph for ESSENTIALS. As of May 2021, 12 of the 15 portraits have been installed and can be found at five participating locations throughout Austin, at Perry Lorenz, the AFL-CIO, the Native Hostel, AgavePrint, and the future site of The Linden Residences. ESSENTIALS also has an online presence that can be found at sarahwilsonphotography. com or on Instagram @essentialsatx.
The Essentials Project caught the attention of many as the nearly twostories-high portraits began to pop up around Austin. You can find media coverage of the project in Austin Monthly, The Austin Chronicle, Peta Pixel, KVUE, KXAN, KEYE, and Fox 7 News. Once she completes the final three portraits, Sarah hopes to continue to grow the project, bringing it to other towns in Texas, the U.S., and around the world. SAS is proud to have alumni like Sarah using their talents to support these hard-working members of our community.
