When she began planning Bending Arc, she drew on her love of Florida’s nature and beaches and came from an emotional place of fun and leisure. She made patterns based on striped umbrellas from old postcards she’d studied and the barnacles that cling to the Pier. (Tampa Bay Times)
1.8
1.8 is closing this May at the Renwick Gallery. This is the final chance to see the beloved installation that has filled the space with light, color, and movement for years. Don’t miss it.
After a series of disappointments and setbacks, in 1997, Echelman won a Fulbright Senior Lectureship and traveled to India intending to give painting exhibitions. Her artistic supplies were lost in transit to Mahabalipuram, so she began working with local bronze casters but the material was heavy and too expensive for her budget. While watching fishermen bundling their nets, Echelman was inspired to take a new approach to sculpture, creating a volumetric form without heavy, solid materials. In collaboration with the fishermen, Echelman created a series of netted sculptures, her “Bellbottoms” series. She went on to become an award-winning and prestigious artist with her airy net-like sculptures. (Read the full post here)
See
Let's look at more women who continue to create history and leave a legacy of power, ingenuity, and hope through their art against all odds! This is such a tiny percentage of the amazing women artists out there. I continue to be inspired and learn about women worldwide doing extraordinary things. Reply to this email and share the name of an artist you'd like featured here.
Luchita Hurtado (born in Caracas, Venezuela, 1920-2020)
Untitled, 1954, Gouache on paper35 7/8 × 24 inches
Began receiving major recognition in her late 90s
Created art for over 80 years before her first solo museum show
Focused on environmental activism and feminine power in her work
Pioneered "maintenance art" while balancing motherhood
Has been the unsalaried artist-in-residence at NYC's Department of Sanitation since 1977
Continues creating works about essential workers and public service
Marina Abramović (born in Belgrade, Serbia, 30 Nov 1946)
In the piece above, The Artist Is Present, her 2010 MOMA exhibition, Abramović sits at this table and stares directly into the eyes of museum visitors brave enough to sit across from her. In all, Abramović sat for 750 hours.
Pioneer of performance art
Creates powerful works about endurance and human connection
Obama selected Amy Sherald to create her portrait after Sherald won first place in the National Portrait Gallery’s 2016 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The women formed a bond through their shared passion for inspiring young people, especially girls of color. Sherald, who is known for portraits of African American subjects painted in grayscale, asserts, “I always want the work to be a resting place for Black people, one where you can let your guard down among figures you understand.” Painted when Obama was writing her memoir Becoming (2018), this iconic portrait shows her in an introspective mood wearing a Michelle Smith dress reminiscent of the Gee’s Bend quilts made by descendants of enslaved people. (Read Gee's Bend full post here.)
Kimiko Nishimoto (born in Brazil on May 28, 1928)
“I just want to do something funny,” Nishimoto told the Japan Times in February. “As far as I’m concerned, life is all about being playful. I look around my house and am always finding fun things to photograph.”
Google Kimiko Nishimoto, follow kimiko_nishimoto on Instagram, and be prepared to be delighted. She took her first photography class at age 72 and, at 97, is famous for her quirky and creative sense of humor in her self-portrait photography. The whimsical twist she brings daily turns our image of old age in its head. (Read the full post about Nishimoto)
Say
"I am who I am because I am doing what I want to do, not what I'm told to do." Hurtado
Write about what you do because you are told to do, and what you do that you want to do. Discover the value of doing what you want.
Which of the artists above inspire you the most? Why?
Write about a woman you admire. List all of the amazing things about her and the struggles she has overcome.
It's never too late! What would you like to learn to do? Now do it!
Do
I recently learned to carve hearts!
Do more of what makes you HAPPY!
Read about 100 Contemporary Female Artists You Need to Know
Cassatt's Charm and Power Young Lady in a Loge* Gazing Right, 1878-9 This painting, originally owned by Paul Gaugin, sold at auction for $7.4 million in 2022. “Mlle Cassatt has as much charm, but she has more power” than the other female artists of our time. -Paul Gauguin Mary Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker, who boldly rebelled against the expectations set for her as a woman in the 19th century and traveled to Europe to find her independence as a professional artist. She made...
Artemesia the Survivor Thriver Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, 1638-39, Royal Collection Trust See This week we will dive into the life and work of Artemesia Gentileschi, the Revolutionary Baroque Master. Overcoming obstacles, like many modern women, Gentileschi was a powerhouse in the artworld and the world world. Using her paintings to portray women as strong and self-reliant, Artemisia's legacy reminds us that art can be a powerful tool for voice, vision, and victory over...
O'Keeffe: Teaching Us to See Georgia O'Keeffe's "Blue and Green Music, 1919-1920" demonstrates how early 20th-century artists (Kandinski, Klee) used music as inspiration for visual expression. O'Keeffe believed that, like music, visual art could communicate emotions without needing representational subjects. In this particular piece, she used flowing, wave-like forms to create a visual parallel to musical rhythms and harmonies, while also reflecting patterns she observed in nature. As we...
