Rewriting Herstory: Volume Two by Victory Hall Press

COVER: “The Queen of Salsa” by Caridad Kennedy

REWRITING HERSTORY VOLUME TWO

DRAWING ROOMS 926 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ victory hall press

REWRITING HERSTORY: An International Exhibit Honoring Inspiring Women Volume Two: Women in Music and Dance Women Who Excel in Sports and the Written Word Women in the Visual Arts Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Women in Science and Math Today is March 17, 2022. We finished the first volume and now we’re doing a second. W’re coming off 2+ years of Covid 19 and a challenging election which resulted in the first Black/Asian woman as Vice President. During this time we decided to focus on something positive by celebrating women whose deeds impacted the world. We put out an international call and accepted submissions that feature women known to the general public, as well as others who have not yet gotten their due. On the subsequent pages, you’ll see a few women portrayed by multiple artists, including, not surprisingly, Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We hope you see women you are also inspired by and are introduced to others you are excited to learn about. The Year of the Woman was a popular label for 1992, after the election resulted in 5 female US Senators. The term has also been used to refer to the 2018 House elections, in which a record 103 women were elected. Now, in 2022, 125 women represent 27.9% of the total 117th US House of Representatives.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton spoke of the glass ceiling, a metaphor which refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from moving forward. In 2020, Kamala Harris broke that ceiling hard and shattered glass was heard around the world when she made history as the first woman and woman of color as Vice President. So many women in government stood up to the powers that be to help save our democracy. So many women’s accomplishments in every field haven’t gotten the same attention that men have - women making the world better, women in music and dance, sports and the written word, tv, radio, cinema and theatre, science and math, and the visual arts Straight, gay, trans, Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, White, etc– women have not been fairly represented. After all, history was written by men. This exhibition and catalog attempts to set the record straight and rewrite history to include herstory. We want to honor all inspiring women (special shout out to BIPOC)— contemporary, as well as throughout history, and national, as well as international women. We want to tell their stories visually and through text. “I say, It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet, I’m a woman, Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.” -- Maya Angelou Anne Trauben Exhibitions Director, Curator, Drawing Rooms

Women in Music and Dance Anne Dushanko Dobek New Providence, NJ

Pina Bausch (1940 - 2009), founder of Tanzheater Wupperthal, created complex dance and theatre works which continue to redefine the content and choreography of modern dance. Thematically taut, emotionally charged movements synched with complex multi-level staging demanded the viewer’s attention (VIKTOR). By encouraging dancers to choose gestures and movements that enhanced the emotional impact of her works, Bausch was able to explore adult relationships with often disturbing allusions to children’s games ie: musical chairs. She brought her company to the Brooklyn Academy of Music In 1984.

Anne Dushanko Dobek, Musical Chairs IV, 2000, Pencils and Acrylic, 7 × 8 in

Women in Music and Dance Anne Dushanko Dobek New Providence, NJ

Seeing Pina Bausch’s productions at BAM was a revelation. Here were works which mirrored my brain; Bausch had found a way to create complex multi referential pieces that went beyond Martha Graham traditional opera and happenings. My work promptly began to move away from the wall and became more multidisciplinary. For the Musical Chairs series, I sampled a smidgen of imagery from VIKTOR and created works dealing with emotional, relational and physical balance from a female perspective.

Anne Dushanko Dobek, Musical Chairs V, 2000, Pencils and Acrylic, 7 × 7 in

Women in Music and Dance Barbara Slitkin Los Angeles, CA

Brought up in poverty, every event in Mahalia Jackson’s life and career broke another racial barrier. An early supporter of the civil rights movement, she worked in support of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. I could not help being enchanted by Mahalia Jackson’s vocal style and contribution to performing Gospel music. Mahalia Jackson is widely considered to be one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century with a 40-year career that ended abruptly at age 60. The artist popularized Gospel Music, and was instrumental in inspiring rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll singing styles. I began this painting with a mouth. It is a particular fascination and theme of mine right now. It was easily concluded that this was the mouth of a singer or a comedian. As I looked for a likely match, I was happy to find that she was Mahalia Jackson. Scouring her online presence, it was easy to see her mouth was usually wide open, eyes closed and in complete rapture with her song. After listening and further studying my muse, and her unique character, it was easy to dedicate this painting to her.

Barbara Slitkin, For Mahalia, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 × 20 in

Women In Music and Dance Caridad Kennedy Hoboken, NJ

Ceila Cruz (10/21/25 - 7/16/03) began singing as a child and broke down barriers in the male dominated Latin Jazz industry. One of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century, she became known as the “Queen of Salsa” due to her contributions to Latin music in the US. She defected from Cuba in 1960. As an exile, the communist Cuban government prohibited her return. She was unable to attend her mother’s funeral. The lyrics of some of her songs are like gospels for living in hard times. Through her music, she uplifts Cubans everywhere. She was an activist for freedom and human rights. I created a mixed media painting portraying Ceila Cruz. Her image is iconic and so choosing to do her portrait seemed fitting although atypical for my work. Ceila and her artistry embody freedom of expression and pride for her Afro-Cuban heritage. I depicted her wearing a “Bata Cubana”, as she often wore. A Bata Cubana is a garment worn for performance which takes inspiration from Spanish and African influence. It is the traditional dress of Cuba. I gave her a wing because this joyful lady soared! Her music was a staple in my childhood home.

Caridad Kennedy, The Queen of Salsa, 2021, Mixed Media on Watercolor Paper, 22 × 18 in

Women In Music and Dance Caridad Kennedy Hoboken, NJ

Rita Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverio Marcano. At the age of 90, Puerto Rican born American actress and performer, Rita Moreno, continues to act, entertain and advocate for women’s rights. She has a long list of accomplishments unparalleled by anyone in her category. Cemented into the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a star with her name on it. For Latina performers in America, her dancing footprints carved their path. She is one of a kind and the first of her kind to break down the cultural and gender based barriers that threatened to subdue her incomparable and dynamic talents. I created a mixed media painting on acid free watercolor paper depicting Rita Moreno in her role as Anita from “West Side Story.” Moreno has stated that throughout the character of Anita, she found the role model she never had. With the recent release of the remake of this film, I think it’s of value to look back at this iconic image and actress. It was a remarkable performance that became imprinted in the minds of us all. She battled many demons on and off the stage in those early years, won and lived to see an encore of the very film that became pivotable in her extraordinary career.

Caridad Kennedy, Rosita A.K.A. Rita Moreno, 2022, Mixed Media Painting on Watercolor Paper, 7 1/2 × 11 in

Women In Music and Dance Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

Mercedes Sosa is an Argentinean singer of the people, voice for the voiceless (9 July 1935– 4 October 2009). Her career spans four decades across Latin America and Europe. She crossed genres and worked with many different musicians of various generations and held strong to her own convictions and values, even when tough times came calling. Sosa was a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO for Latin America and the Caribbean. When she passed away in 2009, a three day national mourning was declared by the President. She won 5 Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album and several international awards. Mercedes Sosa inspires me to stay grounded in spite of chaos. Her booming voice carries the passionate blood in her veins and her emotions for humanity are seen emanating out of her signature Andean cape singing. She is drumming in this painting, and marking her own beats. “Gracias a La Vida”, meaning thanks to life in Spanish, is Sosa’s personal anthem. “Thanks to life, that has given me so much. It gave me two beams of light, that when opened, Can perfectly distinguish black from white And in the sky above, her starry backdrop, And from within the multitude The one that I love.”

Huey-Min Chuang, Mercedes Sosa, Thanks to Life, 2021, Watercolor , 14 × 11 in

Women In Music and Dance Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

Rene Liu Rou-Ying is a renowned singer, song writer, actress, director, and writer from Taiwan. She has won numerous awards for her films and she is featured in hundreds of solo concerts all over the world in the last thirty years. She is affectionately also known as “Milk Tea” to her fans. Rene inspires me with her song, “Hou Lai,” which means “afterwards”. Every time I lean into the lyrics of that song, I know that there will be an “after”, akin to a rainbow after a torrential rain of whatever I am going through right now, as long as I remember to look forward towards the future with what I have learned from the past. Her voice and music imbue me with hope of new seeds and the possibility of maturity as a warm blanket that wraps me up in serenity and acceptance of who I am. Rene is rocking out in this painting. The dark round bubbles dance on the music sheets with sounds of her voice, both refreshing and satiating like a good bubble milk tea. A train crisscrosses different landscapes and geography, moving along tracks of now and then. A blue sky is surrounded by towering beams of trees in the distance. Different passengers are onboard looking out with curiosity to new sceneries and “listening in” to songs of their hearts.

Rene Liu, Afterwards - Hou Lai, 2021, Watercolor, 12 × 9 in

Women In Music and Dance Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

Sanmao, also known as Chen Mao-ping (March 26, 1943 – January 4, 1991), was the lyricist of the famous song entitled “Olive Tree”, or originally known as “Wandering for a Little Donkey.” It is a song about freedom, pining for a faraway home, and explorations in the world that speaks to all wandering souls. The song goes like this … “Do not ask me where I’m from. My hometown is far away. Why do I wander? Wandering afar, wandering … For the little birds that soar through the sky. For the creeks that rush between the mountains. For the endless grasslands. Wandering afar, wandering. Also, also. For that olive tree in my dreams, that olive tree …” Five blossoming olive trees dance in the background in a field of undulating gold. A woman in a red dress follows a wandering donkey decked out in a brilliant blue sky hue saddled with merchandise. Olive trees connect earth to humanity via their symbolic meanings of peace, wisdom, fertility, prosperity, and luck. The color red depicted in the lady suggests passion, energy, and adventure. She is following a donkey, not leading it. Will this be a foolish journey or a delightful discovery? The golden fields in orange suggest abundant hope and fertile grounds for a fruitful harvest.

Huey-Min Chuang, Sanmao’s Olive Trees and a Wandering Donkey in a Field of Undulating Gold, 2021, Watercolor, 12 × 9 in

Women In Music and Dance Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

The Amis Tribe dancing women are depicted in this painting. The Amis is the largest indigenous tribe in Taiwan, located in the region of Hualien in the central mountainous region, and the eastern coastal areas. They traditionally preserve a maternal kinship system, where property and inheritance pass through the mother and children are born to the mother’s people. Women make the household and finance decisions, and they celebrate the harvest festival as the most important event of the year. This piece celebrates the three graces of Amis – everyday beauty of women through youth, middle age, and old sage. They are holding hands, passing along joy, herstory, steps, and learned lessons. They are showered in pomelo leaves and round fruits. Pomelo leaves have the number “8” shape that signifies eternity. Pomelo harvest ushers in the Mid-Autumn festival. They are crowned in feathers, bright decorative motifs, and an enlightened aura that reminds us of being in the lightness of now, in a dance circle of life. One is community. A community begins with one.

Huey-Min Chuang, Three Graces of Amis, 2021, Watercolor, 12 × 9 in

Women In Music and Dance Vija Doks New York, NY

I loved the photo of Bessie Smith, which I used as my reference. It is a young Bessie Smith, and she is so exuberant and alive here, doing what she loved, singing. This piece is one of one hundred works in my famous women series.

Vija Doks, Bessie Smith, 2021, Oil on Canvas, 18 × 18 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Barbara Slitkin New York, NY

Toni Morrison won great commercial, academic, and literary success in our time. She embodies what is creative, brilliant, and wise, with a very loving presence. Toni Morrison gained worldwide recognition when she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her works will live on; she broke ground for those who followed in her footsteps. We need to remember her, especially in this time of distress. I began this painting in acrylic and completed it finally in oil paints. It took over a month to finish. Because this woman has a very strong face with almost severe features, it changed a lot. She is a unique beauty of soul. She fascinated me. I switched back and forth from Toni Morrison as a younger, to older woman. I analyzed her features in many types of photos and video clips. I was not at all satisfied that I could capture this person, although, somehow, there she was. It was as **though she was here guiding me to know her. I hope this painting of her spirit will do her justice**.

Barbara Slitkin, Beloved Toni, 2021, Oil on Canvas, 30 × 20 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Christine Sauerteig-Pilaar Oak Ridge, NJ

Anne Sexton was an American Poet during the 1950-70’s. She is well known in literary worlds. Her name and work should be as known as one of our best artists. Poetry, sadly, is the quietest of the arts in our society, so her voice needs to be amplified whenever possible. Anne wrote about the female experience in a bold and brash way, she removed all the pretty coverings of being a mother, a wife and a woman in our culture during her lifetime. Some of her words cut like a knife, others soothe a wounded soul. She was a strong, loud woman during a time when quiet was preferred. This portrait of Anne Sexton came to me after listening to some recordings of Anne reading her poems. I discovered some film that was taken at her home, a short documentary of her life with her kids and her being in her home. At one point she is reading a poem into the camera, and her dog makes some noise. She scolds the dog and then makes this face where she squints one eye at it to put the animal in its place. To me it was the perfect expression of her. I used ink and exploded her hair to emphasize her wild mind, untamed and powerful. I tried to express the power of this amazing woman.

Christine Sauerteig-Pilaar, Portrait of Anne Sexton, 2021, Mixed Media Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 48 × 36 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Christy E. O’Connor Middletown, NJ

I learned of Anais Nin in a gender studies course during my time in undergraduate school. Her diaries were one of the most liberating pieces I had read as a young adult. Anais Nin was a French-Cuban essayist, diarist, novelist, and one of the first female authors of erotica. With a career spanning several decades, she achieved what no other woman could at her time. Anais lived a rather controversial life, with a bold and vehement demeanor, tangled love affairs, and liberal and intense writing. She wrote without inhibitions, drawing most of the content from her own experiences. She dealt with continuous rumors and scandals. Unstirred by the gossip surrounding her life, she continued to contribute to literature. She had several relationships with famous authors, whom she candidly wrote about in her diary and who evidently became characters of her erotic novels. This 2-D mixed media acrylic painting was made with acrylic, ink, fabric and beading. Within the skirts of her dress is a printing press, inspired by the fact that she self published and printed many of her works on her own printing press.

Christy O’Connor, Monster, 2021, Mixed Media on Paper, 38 × 42 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950) was a feminist, a poet, and a revolutionary. She made a living as a writer and supported her siblings through ups and downs of life. She was also a Pulitzer Prize winner with several awards under her belt. She lived life to the fullest and was never afraid to break grounds when no trails were presented to her. Her legacy endures the passing of time, like “A Few Figs from Thistles”, and “What Lips my Lips Have Kissed When and Why”, as well as The Millay Colony for the Arts in Austerlitz, NY. She is also an icon for the LGBT community. Edna St Vincent Millay draws out the immediacy of living in the moment, no matter what. Her courage and bravery to stare at life and to question its merits propel me to stride on when I seem to have no breath left. Her words touch my heart and her passionate soul speaks volumes as it evokes eternity. Decades later, she still lives among us. This painting portrays her in the field among thistle flowers and figs. The backdrop is her home in Austerlitz NY. The typewriter shows that she is working on her poem, “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed and Where…” It is still a work in progress.

Huey-Min Chuang, What Lips I Have Kissed Where and Why, 2021, Watercolor, 11 × 14 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Huey-Min Chuang Brooklyn, NY

Ursula Le Guin (1929-2018) was a fiction writer and best known for the Earthsea fantasy series that explored the themes of darkness, lightness, hero’s journey, good vs evil, what is foreign vs familiar, and character development of individuals. She wrote over six decades and responded to readers’ letters by hand until the very last of her days on Earth. I was a lucky recipient of one of her letters of encouragement and wisdom. This drawing portrays a heroine’s journey through turbulent times and rough seas. In the distance, a castle and greener pasture await, if the dragon can be tamed and what is precious to us protected from harm. Like many of Ursula Le Guin’s works, often the wild beast is not simply what can be seen with our eyes. Sometimes, what consumes us and slays us slowly and fervently lay hidden inside us, lurking in the invisible, staining blank pages of our lives, yet to be written in stone.

Huey-Min Chuang, Heroine’s Journey, 2021, Watercolor, 11 × 14 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Katie Niewodowski Jersey City, NJ

During the pandemic, the two most influential nonfiction books that I read were Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd. In Caste, Isabel Wilkerson bravely provides a new framework for understanding the racial divide in the United States and how, like a caste system, it is still at play today. In The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Sue Monk Kidd describes her journey of spiritual awakening when she began to embrace the Divine Feminine. I chose to draw Isabel Wilkerson and Sue Monk Kidd together in one piece because while their books address different societal issues, I feel that the solution to both lies in realizing the other. The racial caste system that exists in the US persists due to the white male patriarchal structures that are embedded in its foundation. We won’t rebuild these structures until we also embrace the Divine Feminine. And, the Divine Feminine cannot be realized as long as injustice and inequality reign supreme.

Katie Niewodowski, Wise Women, 2021, Color Pencil in Bamboo Box 4 × 7 × 4 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Laurel Garcia Colvin Santa Fe, NM

Simone de Beauvoir published her book, The Second Sex, in 1949. Her discussion of the treatment and oppression of women throughout history had a huge influence on contemporary feminism and women’s recalibrating their relationship to men in society, work and sexual encounters, especially during the #MeToo movement today. This toile fabric piece is entitled “Yes, Simone, yes does mean YES and no means NO!” and connects the feminist philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir to the sexual power and choice a woman now has in her relationships with men in today’s society. This unframed piece of fabric is commercially printed on linen cotton canvas.

Laurel Garcia Colvin, Yes, Simone, yes does mean YES and no means NO, 2021, Fabric, 27 × 18 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Leslie Nobler Little Falls, NJ

Early in the 20th C., Shoshana Persitz escaped the terrorizing anti-Semitism in Russia and became a writer and publisher. She created a publishing house called Omanut (Hebrew for Art) and her goal was to enable European Jewish children to build literacy, and even learn Hebrew. I am so inspired by her resilience and lifelong activity promoting children’s literacy, along with her role chairing Jewish organizations that established kindergartens and supplied food and clothes to immigrants. {I believe deeply in offering help and opportunity to immigrants, and using art to expand that effort!} This digital portrait uses a beautiful photo of the writer/publisher for reference, then merges imagery used in her artistic books all around her. For example, her hat and scarf are re-painted using patterns and Hebrew words from one book, while the “frame” created for her is from a book cover with words in the Cyrillic alphabet. In this stance, depictions of both her powerful role in the world (unusual for her time) and her empathy/emotional depth are carefully balanced. After printing “her” on both canvas and silk, I look forward to further embellishing each of them to tell her story!

Leslie Nobler, Shoshana, 2021, Digital Drawing, 14 × 11 in

Women who Excel in the Written Word Leslie Nobler Little Falls, NJ

Ettie Zilber rose from nothing (literally), as her parents were moved from a Nazi concentration camp to a displaced persons camp at the end of WWII, where she was born. An American immigrant, she worked her way up in the world of educational/psychological writing through much education and hard work. She penned a renown memoir of her mother’s Holocaust experience, as well as writings on trans-generational trauma. Further, she authors works on “Third Culture Kids,” based on lives of children who are expatriated and attend international schools. I marvel at her resilience, tenacity, and intelligence! The challenge in collecting words and images about Ettie pushed my experimentation in mixed media. I digitally repainted/collaged portraits of her and her mother, and then searched for visual references to her mother’s life in Lithuania. The repeating pattern evolved out of symbols from Lithuanian flags combined with traditional embroidered folk art. After transferring the various components to stitch-able substrates, I appliqued them and “quasi-quilted” the resulting mixed-media collage. With far too many visual symbols to enumerate here, suffice it to say– I capture this wisdom and beauty.

Leslie Nobler, Ettie and Memory, 2021 Collage 19 × 19 in

Women who Excel in Sports Linda Johns Bloomfield, NJ

Althea Gibson was my tennis instructor as a child. She broke all barriers as a Black woman playing in a sport dominated by Whites. So for her to donate her time to teach young children of color the game of tennis was wonderful. That is why I play tennis till this day. Thank you Althea Gibson! This piece illustrates three prominent Black Women who happen to be known for their tennis acumen– Althea Gibson, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.

Linda Johns, Gibson, Williams and Williams, 2021, Pastel, 11 × 14 in

Women who Excel in Sports Linda Pearlman Karlsberg Newton, MA

Serena Williams revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and won more Grand Slam singles titles by any player in the Open Era. Her serves are the greatest in women’s tennis history. Serena has highlighted gender inequality in tennis. Through her foundation she built schools here and abroad, created tennis programs for disadvantaged youth; through various initiatives raised funds and awareness to help those affected by senseless violence, to ensure equal access to education, to provide financial empowerment to domestic abuse victims, to fund scholarships and so much more. The ‘She Spoke Up’ series began as a reaction to the destructive political, social and cultural climates inflamed in the last few years. The cascading events and unending revelations of the Me Too movement only increased a sense of urgency to respond. I chose to elevate the work, achievements and words of women who have spoken truth to power, pursued freedom and equity, and in so doing transformed some part of the broader world. I intend these pieces to make a direct statement on the times as well as do the necessary work of amplifying the strength, accomplishments and voices of women.

Linda Pearlman Karlsberg, She Spoke Up III, Serena Williams, 2020, Charcoal, 28 × 36 in

Women who Excel in Sports Linda Pearlman Karlsberg Newton, MA

Aly Raisman, the second-most decorated Olympic gymnast in American history, is a two-time Olympian with six medals. Highly decorated on the world stage, she trains intensely, is powerful and unshakeable in competition. She came forward with a condemning impact statement of Dr. Nasser at his trial for sexual abuse of herself and dozens of gymnasts; and is an outspoken activist against sexual abuse. She filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and USOC challenging the very institutions she led to glory, and is a symbol of body positivity, strength and determination for girls and female athletes. The ‘She Spoke Up’ series began as a reaction to the destructive political, social and cultural climates inflamed in the last few years. The cascading events and unending revelations of the Me Too movement only increased a sense of urgency to respond. I chose to elevate the work, achievements and words of women who have spoken truth to power, pursued freedom and equity, and in so doing transformed some part of the broader world. I intend these pieces to make a direct statement on the times as well as do the necessary work of amplifying the strength, accomplishments and voices of women.

Linda Pearlman Karlsberg, She Spoke Up II. Aly Raisman, 2020, Charcoal 28 × 36 in

Women who Excel in Sports Tamara Tornado New York, NY

Athlete Jordan Marie Daniel is a competitive runner from the Kul Wicasa Oyate (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe) in South Dakota. Daniel dedicated her run in the 2019 Boston Marathon to 26 missing or murdered Indigenous women. She wore a red handprint on her face. She stated that she wanted to use her platform to bring awareness to the women, so that they were seen, heard, and remembered. This gouache painting was used to make stickers, posters, and buttons for missing or murdered Indigenous women by organizations in Wisconsin.

Tamara Tornado, Portrait of Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horse Daniel, 2021, Gouache, 12 × 9 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Barbara Slitkin New York, NY

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People named May 20 Josephine Baker Day for efforts opposing segregation in the USA. Born to poverty, was the first black entertainer to gain world fame. As one of the most beautiful and talented showgirls in popular memory Josephine was a star. In 1927, she earned more money than any entertainer in Europe. In the 1930s starred in two movies. During World War2 she became as a spy who risked her life for the Allies. She served the French Resistance by smuggling secret messages written on her music. Honored as a heroine, at death. I came across a photo of Josephine Baker on the internet of her seated in the most elaborate flowing ruffled gown that looked as though it could fill an entire stage set. It was a perfect subject for me to interpret in clay and glaze in the ceramic studio. Josephine Bakers image and story has inspired celebrated creative artists in every media. The opportunity to add another ceramic to my existing characters came with the challenge of submitting to Drawing Rooms Woman Who Make the World Better as Josephine lived a remarkable inspiring life as a famed Showgirl and WW2 war heroine.

Barbara Slitkin, Josephine Baker (Showgirl and War Herione), 2021, Ceramic, 4 1/2 × 10 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Barbara Slitkin New York, NY

While in Vietnam to entertain the troops for a USO show, USAF Captain said to Martha Raye, “Ms. Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!” She said, “Captain, see this eagle? I am a full ‘Bird’ in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a ‘Caduceus’ which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty, now, take me to your wounded. Martha is the only woman buried in the Special Forces cemetery at Ft Bragg. Martha endured more danger and discomfort than any other USO entertainer, ever. The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped. Often, I work in the wee hours of the night alone in a ceramic’s studio. Mostly without a plan, maybe an idea. When I created this piece, I kept stretching the mouth to exaggerate it. This was to be part of a fun series about the orifice. When out of the Kiln, my mind wondered, why does this look familiar? It reminded me of someone, but who? Then in a flash I knew. It was Martha Raye A.K.A. THE MOUTH a very funny early TV star of her own show. Her imprint remained, for the inner child in me!

Barbara Slitkin, Martha Raye A.K.A. THE MOUTH, 2020, Ceramic, 7 × 6 × 4 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Fran Beallor New York, NY

This is my mother, Dolores Beallor– artist, educator and performer. She was not well known but was very talented, and inspired me to become an artist. She created a TV show in the early days of television. It was never broadcast, and that in itself - why that happened - is part of Herstory. When my parents lived in California in the 40s, my mother and a friend created a children’s show that involved art, storytelling and puppets, like Shari Lewis. They had a sponsor and were ready to go, but my father got a new job back East, and off they went, leaving my mother’s nascent dreams behind. While living near Hollywood, CA, my mother and a partner (name unfortunately unknown) developed a TV program called, “Draw Me a Story”. While her partner read a story, sometimes using hand puppets, my mother would draw and illustrate the story in real time on mural sized paper. She had a real talent for this kind of spontaneous, impromptu sketching - her work was simple, bold and colorful. Although they had funding and were ready to go, partly due to the sexist expectations of the era, when my father got a new job back East, off they went, sacrificing her nascent career to pursue his. Back in NYC, she found another partner to work with, Dorothy Fulmer. They did not pursue TV, but rather took their Draw me a Story “act” around to schools and community centers. After Dorothy died in a tragic fire, my mother started to teach art privately and later became a public school art teacher, touching the lives of many children in some of the most impoverished areas of the city.

Fran Beallor, Layers: Farewell/Mother/Warrior, 2021, Mixed Media on Paper, 17 × 14 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Geoffrey Stein New York, NY

My portrait of Rachel Maddow was an emotional attempt to find a bright spot in the 2016 presidential election, by depicting one of the sources I have depended on for information and hope. I used a newspaper from the election, often of Mr. Trump, to create a likeness of one of his fiercest adversaries. My portraits of actors on our political stage use newspaper text and photographs about the subject. This is a modern take on the renaissance trope of putting objects into a portrait to illustrate the attributes of the subject. Instead of illustrating the subject’s attributes with a symbol, as a Renaissance era painter would, I collage my portraits with materials from the subject’s world.

Geoffrey Stein, Rachel Maddow, 2021, Acrylic, Gesso, Pencil on Canvas, 30 × 30 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Irmari Nacht Englewood, NJ

These three young women, Katy Perry, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, have reached a great deal of success in their chosen careers. They have reinvented themselves to play a different role each time they perform. They represent all women...and as such they are shown as multiple images when they combine in this collage. Recycled Identity 2 is from a series of faces on 6x6”canvases of different women combined into one image. Although each woman comes with her own separate baggage, personality, or memories, when combined with another’s image, they meld and take on a fused identity. The work shows the possibility of creating a new harmonious person, combining the attributes and features of one with another. It also points to the universality of people who are joined together…we are all the same, while still being different.

Irmari Nacht, Recycled Identity 2, 2021, Collage, 12 1/2 × 19 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Irmari Nacht Englewood, NJ

These three movie stars of the 50’s/60’s, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Doris Day, represented the pinnacle of beauty, sex appeal, and universal womanhood.… I could identify with the black hair that Elizabeth Taylor and I both shared, the hope that Sophia Loren’s earthy appeal might rub off on me, and that someone would recognize my good side in Doris Day, the girl next door. A combination of wholesome beauty, overt sexual magnetism, and the goddess of perfect features symbolized the aspirations of impressionable teenage girls. Merging them into one artwork is a salute to the glamour, sexuality, and innocence of the era. Recycled Identity 6 is from a series of faces on 6 x 6” canvases of different women combined into one image. Although each woman comes with her own separate baggage, personality, or memories, when combined with another’s image, they meld and take on a fused identity. The work shows the possibility of creating a new harmonious person, combining the attributes and features of one with another. It also points to the universality of people who are joined together… we are all the same, while still being different.

Irmari Nacht, Recycled Identity 6, 2021, Collage, 12 1/2 × 19 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Kimberely Wiseman Jersey City, NJ

Sally Rand is an American icon, best known for her famous “fan dance.” During the 1920s, she acted on stage and appeared in silent films. She became a dancer, known for the fan dance. Her most famous appearance was at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. She was arrested four times in a single day during the fair due to perceived indecent exposure after a fan dance performance. She also conceived and developed the bubble dance, in part to cope with wind while performing outdoors. After numerous tests, the super-dooper, see-through bubble was born. Sally Rand **is my spirit animal.

Kimberley Wiseman, The Bubble Dance, 2021, Watercolor, Watercolor Pencils, Pen and Ink on Paper, 18 × 12 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Kimberely Wiseman Jersey City, NJ

Sophia Loren is resilient and fearless. Even now her glamour and beauty is timeless.

Kimberley Wiseman, Everything I Have I Owe to Spaghetti, 2021, Watercolor on Paper , 22 × 18 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Kimberely Wiseman Jersey City, NJ

Ru Paul is a transgender drag queen who helped redefine boundaries and the definition of being female. She has been credited with creating wider exposure for drag queens from LGBT culture into mainstream society. During the pandemic, I watched all the drag races. It was the only show I could watch and escape the world for awhile.

Kimberley Wiseman, We’re all Born Naked and the Rest is Drag, 2021, Watercolor and Watercolor Pencils on Paper, 18 × 12 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Laura Lou Levy East Orange, NJ

Oprah Winfrey is a trail-blazer, who showed this country and the world that, with her dynamic resilience and in her fearless vulnerability, she could become the powerful, charged beacon she is, to girls and women everywhere. This drawing was made for a story for The Wall Street Journal. The original is not available but good-quality copies of it are, and 100% of proceeds from sales will go to Drawing Rooms, in support of everything they do.

Laura Lou Levy, Oprah Winfrey, 2021, Print of Ink, Drawing on Paper, 7 × 9 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Leonard Baby New York, NY

Angela Schanelec is a German filmmaker. Her movies are very cathartic to me as an artist. She represents women in deeply complex and real ways. Though she was awarded a Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival, I believe her work is deeply underappreciated. Regardless, she is an inspiration for artists wanting to dignify the female experience. My painting is based on a scene from one of her films.

Leonard Baby, We’ll Get Through This, 2021, Acrylic On Wood, 10 × 8 in

Women in TV, Radio, Cinema, Theatre Yael Dresdner New York, NY

Billie Holiday channelled her private and group pain into hauntingly beautiful music. I’m inspired by how direct and authentic her singing is. She still touches my soul so many years later. The piece was based on a photograph I must have found in a newspaper or a magazine, since it was created in pre-internet days. I just found the black-and-white photo on the internet, and in it, she’s in front of a microphone at a recording studio. It was painted with soft pastels against the black background color of the paper. The use of pastels adds a glow, like a spotlight, and softness that contains her emotions and humanity.

Yael Dresdner, Billie Sings, 2020, Pastel on Paper, 18 × 11 in

Women in the Visual Arts Aaron Dunkel Jersey City, NJ

I have seen Venezuelan artist Maria Sol Escobar’s (known as Marisol) work at Museo Di Barrio and was inspired by her eye-popping imagery and use of materials. Her wood carvings and sculptures draw from de Kooning to pre-colombian folk art. This assemblage was done in collaboration with King Baby. It is built on floorboards that were turned into a canvas, it combines found imagery and a variety of other media such as watches, games, targets, and emergency blankets.

Aaron E. Dunkel, Escobar, 2021, Mixed Media, 39 × 34 in

Women in the Visual Arts Aaron Dunkel Jersey City, NJ

María Izquierdo is known for being the first Mexican woman to have her artwork exhibited in the United States. She committed both her life and her career to painting art that displayed her Mexican roots and held her own among famous Mexican male artists. María Izquierdo was the first female Mexican artist I was introduced to. Her portrait work is striking. This collage is inspired by her portraiture work. I upcycled this painting into this assemblage. It combines schematics, original photography, comic books, maps and a target. It is a play on the traditional portraiture works we say represent prominent people in society, the way Maria would portray important people in her life.

Aaron E. Dunkel, Maria Izquierdo, 2021, Mixed Media, 40 × 32 in

Women in the Visual Arts Christy E. O’Connor Middletown, NJ

Carolee Schneemann is one of my favorite artists within the Fluxus movement and has been personally inspiring throughout my artistic career. Carolee Schneemann was a feminist performance and video artist. She spent her life smashing taboos and shocking audiences. Throughout her career she has used her body to examine the role of female sensuality in connection to the possibilities of political and personal liberation from predominantly oppressive social and aesthetic conventions. Drawing on the expressive possibilities of film, performance, photography, and installation, among other media, she has explored themes of generation and goddess imagery, sexuality, and everyday erotics, as well as personal biography and loss. This 2-D Mixed Media acrylic painting was inspired by her many performances, and gives personal homage to “Eye Body 36 Transformative Actions” (1963) and Interior Scroll (1975). Materials include acrylic, ink, dirt, tinfoil, fabric remnants, yarn, paper.

Christy O’Connor, Mascot, 2021, Mixed Media Painting, 42 × 38 in

Women in the Visual Arts Giustina Surbone Brooklyn, NY

Agnes Martin, one of the most revered abstract painters of the 20th century practiced the most extreme form of abstraction, minimalism. Her canvases square, her colors limited, and her surfaces contained simplistic elements: grids, stripes and triangles. As a painter I am deeply moved by Martin’s work, but it is Martin the woman and working artist that’s truly inspiring. She was strong, humble, prodigious, egoless and lived simply. She struggled all her life with bouts of mental illness yet was steadfastly committed to her artistic vision in pursuit of finding her own unique voice. My painting is a homage to the Great Dame of Minimalism Agnes Martin. It is part of my ongoing artist portraits series. I’ve designed the composition to deliver a direct impact by virtue of its size and powerful presence of my subject. Inspired by a photo taken shortly before her death, Martin’s image is painted on a 60in x 51in sheet of prepared Arches cold-press watercolor paper, first with colored pencils and then with oils. My painting is stylized and in no way an attempt to reproduce the photo. It is instead, about the moment the photographic image I found became my painting of Agnes. .

Giustina Surbone, The Minimalist, 2020, Oil on Arches Watercolor Paper 60 × 51 in

Women in the Visual Arts Kailin Nielsen Hays, Kansas

Jenny Saville captures irregular images of the human figure to portray and push the boundaries of the classical figure, merged with abstract applications of oil paint. With the use of intimate and pronounced images of her subjects, Saville sculpts and scraps her figures into her canvas by lathering layers of fleshy oil paint. I have always been drawn to Saville’s work due to her emphasis on highlighting the imperfections of the female body. The male gaze has skewed the perception of the female form. I believe Jenny Saville’s work is contributing to breaking this stigma one portrait at a time. Since gathering inspiration from Jenny Saville’s creations, I dissected the portrayal of the female form in society. Companies are hyper-fixated on the ideal female body to sell their products at the cost of female sexuality. We, as a society, have begun craving an unrealistic facade of what a female body should be instead of highlighting our unique imperfections. Similar to Saville’s work, I wanted to portray a female essence as the central subject with an intimate cropped composition. This draws the attention away from the main subject, and it allows the viewer to be engulfed by the concept.

Kailin Nielsen, The Ideal Cannibalism, 2021, Oil Paint on Canvas, 36 × 48 in

Women in the Visual Arts Kailin Nielsen Hays, Kansas

Marilyn Minter is a widely known visual artist who captures sensual moments of females through painting and photography. Using unique and unconventional techniques to conceptually drive her work, Marilyn creates a visceral landscape of an individual female as she explores her lusts within her own confined comfort. Women have been suppressed for centuries for expressing any sensual desires. Artists like Minter provide hope and inspiration to future female generations showing acceptance on these subjects. “Blue It On Me Boys Deface me to define your masculinity. Berate me to better yourself. Slut shame me for being “too sexy”. Flaunting me like I was a prized pig. A prized pig that lost herself. Justifying your actions at the expense of my self-worth. Presents, presents, and more presents. Presents were the weak bandaid covering the massive gaping hole. They made me feel like I owed you. They still make me feel like I owe everyone. Did you think the presents would erase everything? So hold my arms down BOY. Pin me down BOY. Deface me to define your masculinity and Blue it on me BOY.”

Kailin Nielsen, Blue It On Me Boys, 2021, Mixed Media Painting, 36 × 47 in

Women in the Visual Arts Olga Alexander Glen Ridge, NJ

As an American artist of Greek descent, Goddess Athena represents a strong woman with talents to match; in ancient Greece women were not full citizens, but Athena came to be seen as someone with the ability to invent useful items and crafts. She invented the ship, chariot, plow, and rake to name a few! As a female artist today, I look to her as an inspiration! “Goddess Athena Blowing In The Wind” is an abstract painting in which I seek to pay homage to Goddess Athena’s talents and to my Greek heritage. My abstract representation of her was completed in 2021 and it is my intention to bring her influence into a contemporary setting that seeks to empower female artists.

Olga Alexander, Goddess Athena Blowing In The Wind, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 40 × 30 in

Women in the Visual Arts Patti A Jordan Montclair, NJ

‘CELLS/SELVES’ honors American Modernist Georgia O’Keeffe. Over a century ago, Georgia O’Keeffe’s artistic practice and singular work perpetually transformed all future possibilities for women artists. I identify with her abstract charcoal drawings and large florals. In simpatico with O’Keefe’s ‘essentialist’ tendencies toward the representation of curvilinear feminist core imagery, ‘Cells/Selves’ incorporates centralized forms, signifying embodied presence. Like an infinite spiral, the former dominant patriarchal narratives with O’Keeffe’s precedence will morph into newly formed conceptions. In simpatico with ‘essentialist’ tendencies toward the representation of feminist core imagery, ‘CELLS/SELVES’ incorporates centralized curvilinear form, signifying embodied presence. I’m pouring and pulling ink across a smooth surface with a metal rule. The motion is rapid and tension is created by the concurrence of fluidity and precision. Obscured or darkened in areas, the resultant imagery alludes to personal identity shifting through transitory states. The repetitive action and ensuing forms connote the layering of present experience over indeterminate histories - palimpsests of viscera.

Patti A. Jordan, CELLS/SELVES (Epicene Tondo 010C), 2021, Ink on Paper, 12 × 12 in

Women in the Visual Arts Patti A Jordan Montclair, NJ

‘CELLS/SELVES’ honors American Modernist Georgia O’Keeffe. Over a century ago, Georgia O’Keeffe’s artistic practice and singular work perpetually transformed all future possibilities for women artists. I identify with her abstract charcoal drawings and large florals. In simpatico with O’Keefe’s ‘essentialist’ tendencies toward the representation of curvilinear feminist core imagery, ‘Cells/Selves’ incorporates centralized forms, signifying embodied presence. Like an infinite spiral, the former dominant patriarchal narratives with O’Keefe’s precedence will morph into newly formed conceptions. In simpatico with ‘essentialist’ tendencies toward the representation of feminist core imagery, ‘CELLS/SELVES’ incorporates centralized curvilinear form, signifying embodied presence. I’m pouring and pulling ink across a smooth surface with a metal rule. The motion is rapid and tension is created by the concurrence of fluidity and precision. Obscured or darkened in areas, the resultant imagery alludes to personal identity shifting through transitory states. The repetitive action and ensuing forms connote the layering of present experience over indeterminate histories - palimpsests of viscera.

Patti A. Jordan, CELLS/SELVES (Epicene Tondo 010A), 2021, Ink on Paper, 12 × 12 in

Women in the Visual Arts Rodriguez Calero Rahway, NJ

Artemisia Gentileschi was a seventeenth-century Italian Baroque artist. In an era when women had few opportunities to pursue artistic training, she was producing by the age of fifteen and was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and she had an international clientele. For many years Artemisia was regarded as a curiosity, but her life and art have been reexamined by scholars in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and she is now regarded as one of the most progressive and expressive painters of her generation. Artemisia Gentileschi painting Cleopatra, 1633-1635 was the inspiration for my piece. The complicated vision of female power and powerlessness, shows Cleopatra’s self-inflicted and solitary death brought about by her mistreatment by men. The image acts as a strong symbol of the lack of recourse that women had available to them and the impact that this had on those around them, in this instance the female attendants in the back.

Rodríguez Calero, Cleopatra, 2021, Collage, 8 × 10 3/4 in

Women in the Visual Arts Rodriguez Calero Rahway, NJ

Artemisia Gentileschi painted Susanna and the Elders at the age of 17. She presents us with an image rare in art, of a three-dimensional female character who is heroic. Artemisia deals with the heroine’s plight, not the villains’ anticipated pleasure, and this offers an entirely different set of concerns to many of her male counterparts. It reflects sexual harassment that Artemisia was receiving by Agostino Tassi and other artists’ hands, once she began training at his studio. Susanna and the Predators (originally titled Susanna and the Elders) is based on a biblical theme. Elders were changed to Predators because the times have called for action. The virtuous Susanna is distressed at being watched and accosted by the men, presenting the incident as a traumatic event.

Rodríguez Calero, Susanna and the Predators, 2021, Collage, 10 1/2 × 7 3/4 in

Women in the Visual Arts Tricia Bethel Grand Anse, St. George’s, Grenada

This is an oil painting created with gold leaf on canvas. It is a portrait of Frida Kahlo, the once well known artist. As a woman, Frida was very determined and I admire this about her. I am an artist and I am always inspired by Frida’s story. It motivates me while I was sick to keep pushing and never give up. On days I don’t feel lazy, I paint. I just think of Frida and I will hit the canvas running.

Tricia Bethel, Frida Lives On, 2021, Oil & Gold Leaf on Canvas, 12 × 10 in

Women in the Visual Arts Vija Doks New York, NY

Agnes Martin suffered from schizophrenia yet she persevered and painted wonderfully nuanced paintings. It is part of my Famous Women Series.

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Vija Doks, Agnes Martin, 2020, Oil on Canvas, 16 × 16 in

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Women in Science and Math Erin Carmody Jersey City, NJ

Emmy Noether is one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time. Einstein called her one of the greatest creative minds to have ever lived. She inspires me because she got a PhD in math, which I also have, and she had struggles in her life and career, but she did so much research and helped so many students. This hand-drawn piece is done with pen on printer paper. It was made to show her personality and mind.

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Erin Carmody, Emmy Noether, 2021, Ink and Paper, 14 × 11 in

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Women in Science and Math Karla Aren Farmington, MI

Kate Sessions transformed the San Diego landscape by bringing in and propagating hundreds of palm trees and dry-weather plants. She wrote letters to gardeners all over the world asking for seeds. In 1909, city leaders hired Sessions to design and enact a landscape plan for the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. Millions of trees and plants were in place by 1915. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science (1881). She grew her love of trees into a lucrative career by owning nurseries and making San Diego’s streets and parks green.

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Karla Aren, San Diego’s Kate Sessions, 2021, Collage, 16 × 12 in

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Women in Science and Math Karla Aren Farmington, MI

Maria Sibylla Merian was the first person to make the butterfly-caterpillar connection. She lived in the mid-1600s, when caterpillars were worms and butterflies were “summer birds.” Merian was born into a family with a successful printing business. When not working, she collected worms, insects and butterflies in glass bottles and cages. Women were not sent to school, but she studied relentlessly. She drew and took records. Her printed books of insects were groundbreaking. She positively proved to the public that butterflies lay eggs that turn into caterpillars and butterflies. This piece is a collage on canvas, 12”x16” A print of a portrait etching of Maria Merian in black & white and also colorized, surrounded by several of her etchings of insects and the plants they inhabit.

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Karla Aren, San Diego’s Kate Sessions, 2021, Collage, 16 × 12 in

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Women in Science and Math Leekyung Kang Holland, MI

Vera Florence Cooper Rubin (July 23, 1928 – December 25, 2016) was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation ratess. Identifying the galaxy rotation problem, her work provided some of the first evidence for the existence of dark matter. I was an artist in the residency program in Sanford Underground Research Program 2021, and I was able to work with scientists, physicists, and geologists to learn about dark matter, and neutrino system. I got to know about Vera as a female physicist studying dark matter, so I am honored to make art in gratitude for her dedication to the field of science. In my imagination, the dark matter is eager to establish eternal order. With this work, I attempt to upend the multiple worlds we live in order to question: where to enter and exit? I want to tackle the complexity of the world by using digital and real-time experience. Through my art practice, I want to capture the perpetual transformation of the space that we are living in by straddling the boundaries between figuration and abstraction.

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Leekyung Kang, Missing Mass, 2021, Mixed Media on Canvas, 30 × 20 in

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Women in Science and Math Nanette Reynolds Beachner Jersey City, NJ

Born in France in 1794, Jeanne Villepreux-Power walked her own path. With no formal education, she dared to leave home at eighteen to become a dressmaker in Paris. After finding fame creating a wedding gown for the French royal family, she married James Power moving to Sicily. Captivated by Sicily’s natural beauty, Jeanne educated herself studying the natural sciences. To conduct physical observations of marine life, like the Paper Nautilus, she invented the modern day aquarium. Later, when all of this research was lost in a shipwreck and others tried to lay claim to her findings, Jeanne persevered. She is known as a pioneering French marine biologist. My piece is an assemblage, made in the form of a shadow box measuring 21” x 17”x 6”, which can hang from the wall or sit on a table. At center is a paper map of Sicily, surrounded by a sea of fabric the color of the Mediterranean Sea. Floating in the sea, the remains of a ship and floating above and reaching beyond the picture plan, a Paper Nautilus. Materials used: wood, paper, fabrics, plastic clay, and acrylics.

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Nanette Reynolds Beachner, Jeanne’s World, 2022, Assemblage, Wood, Paper, Fabrics, Plastic Clay, and Acrylics, 17 × 21 × 6 in

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Victory Hall Press 926 Newark Ave Jersey City, NJ 07306 www.victoryhallpress.org ISBN: 9798435518214 March 2022

Designer, Editor: Anne Trauben Publisher: James Pustorino

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts /Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, County Executive, and the Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Back Cover:: “Beloved Toni”by Barbara Slitkin

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