Eileen Hoffman
The Rapunzel Stories: Let Down Your Hair, 2020
Mixed media on Dura-Lar, chenille stems [40" x 105" x 24"]
Rapunzel was a young girl fighting her way out of a castle that she knew was not the entirety of her world. This Brothers Grimm story beautifully illustrates the central premise of my work: to reflect on the struggles of women to be visible and seen as powerful and intelligent. The long hair of Rapunzel inspired me to create a long art object that goes as far up as it can go, past imagination.
Susan Fecho
Nesting Paradox, 2022
Mixed Media of fabric, ink, gouache, nails, gold leaf, rose petals, woodcut [24" x 36”]
Laura Tabakman
Get your laws off my body, 2022
Silk organza and cotton fabric [21.5” x 17”]
A found doll, it functions as a witness. This doll travels with me; photographing her immersed in different cities forces me to observe the world re-framing my point of view. The streets talk and express the sentiment of its people, their demands, hopes and desires. The piece is created with printed layers of translucent silk organza and cotton fabrics, those layers relate to the layers of graffiti covering the city walls.
Alexander Hernandez
"Manuel", 2022
Printed [55" x 45"]
This work is about body positivity in the Queer, Latino, Bear community.
Heather Ritchie
Shirtdress, 2018
Cotton shirtdress, string [12" x 12"]
Shredded, braided and stitched shirtdress
Jodi Colella
Monocle - Headwear,2020
Millinery straw, cotton thread, kid mohair, buckram support [18" x 12" x 11"]
Headwear has long played a role in indicating the class, status and occupation of the wearer - enforcing conformity and erasing individuality. From the 18th century poke bonnet which restricted women's field of vision, to today's hijab, women in particular have been subjugated to fashion dictates and social norms. Colella's headwear sculptures become a vehicle for a subversive coded language which addresses the play between women's visibility and invisibility.
Sue Weil
Life Without CHOICE, 2022
cotton, wool, tencel [30" x 46"]
When 50 years of precedent is upended, it's impossible to remain silent. The overturning of Roe v Wade is an assault on women's rights, threatening the lives, livelihoods and dreams of countless women and girls. Life Without CHOICE, addresses this in stark black, white and red jagged contours.
Jean Fausser
Inner Beauty, 2022
Handmade paper, thread and wire [19" x 20" x 4"]
Whatever our challenges as women we hold true to ourselves and protect our freedoms. This is a mixed media work with abaca paper, kozo paper and knitted wire.
Kim Paxson
Kansas Women Said NO, 2022
Commercial fabrics, hand stitched with cotton embroidery thread and wool yarn. Coat hanger. [36” x 55.5”]
Did they honestly believe women would not care about losing autonomy over their own bodies? Women of Kansas said NO to that very prospect when they voted to keep abortion legal in their state.
Theda Sandiford
Corporate Crossroads Jail Net, 2020
Black metallic yarn, handmade eyelash yarn, black and brown cotton/rayon poly blend fabric, African printed fabric, vintage African fabric wrapped on recycled polyurethane spliced jungle gym rope netting. [79 x 24 x 72 in]
Despite the growing commitment to racial equity, the day-to-day experiences of women of color are not improving. Women of color face similar types and frequencies of microaggressions as they did two years ago – and they remain far more likely than white women to face disrespectful and “othering” behavior.
Roya Amigh
Welcome and entertain them all, 2019
paper, thread, lace, and pieces of cloth [56" x 41" x 18"]
Liberation of female sexuality in the three pieces, “Welcome and entertain them all” is partly informed by my study of the story of “Yusuf" [Jospeh] (the 12th chapter of the Quran) from a gender and sexuality perspective. I started this work by recreating some parts of several Persian miniatures, creating drawings that consisted of lines made by gluing and composing threads on paper. Specifically, I locate the recreated imagery of the miniature “Zulaykha and Yusuf”, by Kamal al-Din Behzad (1488), in the middle of the piece. Behzad is inspired by Jami’s poem, in which Zulaykha and Yusuf are both looking for true mystical love. Feminine guile is at the core of the story in this poem. I examine the representation of female sexuality and gender-centered storytelling in this work by recreating Zulaykha and Yusuf’s imagery. I juxtapose it with the other myths centered around female power such as Pari and Ghulah. Then, I create the stitched fragments so that they are shaping a vagina structure.
Lisa Jean Allswede
The Wandering Hibiscus, 2020
Hibiscus photograph embellished with hand & machine embroidery, beads, sequins, zippers, and nails mounted on top of a painted basswood panel [50 panels, 8” x 8” x 1.5”]
“The Wandering Hibiscus” is my celebration of womanhood. This deeply personal body of artwork stitches together crystalized remembrances of childhood, motherhood, moving, sexuality, aging, and embracing imperfection — panels of vignettes commemorating the memories of an aging woman. Each of these vignettes is composed of a kaleidoscope of threads, sequins, and zippers all tangled together to form a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. I love the hibiscus as I am drawn firstly to its alluring sensuality. Its ruby, fleshy goodness reminds me to appreciate the simple pleasures in life. In a broader context, the hibiscus symbolizes femininity, warmth, love and passion. The mythology of the flower helps women reclaim their sexuality, vitality, and invincibility in the face of degrading depictions of women in media. I see myself within these descriptors, and have learned to use the flower as a looking-glass into myself. To honor our serendipitous relationship, I began photographing the hibiscus in June 2012 and soon after began sewing on those photographs. From photographs to twisted threads, each vignette is a journey of revelations. I utilized jacked up french knots, misguided sashiko stitches, and jumbled layers of machine stitching to help mend my wounds from womanhood. What began as an unexpected attraction to a flower transformed into a self portrait of sorts; a celebration of a woman in her 50s.
Kimberley Harding
Pussyhat Basket, 2018
Watercolor paper, acrylic paint, silk fabric, ribbon [10" x 12" x 9"]
I began this work in response to the Pussyhat movement and refined it in response to the #MeToo movement. The cathead basket is an elegant vessel containing the shock, fear and anger I experienced during and after the 2016 election. I was gratified by the outpouring of solidarity among women, which continued with the #MeToo movement. Yet I felt unconscious pressure to join this movement. Not all women are ready to share their experiences of violation with the worldwide audience. For some the abuse is too fresh, too painful to reveal. Women need not sacrifice their privacy and mental health to further an important movement. And that’s all I’m going to say.
Leonie Castelino
Breaking Free, 2022
Silk & poly organza, thread [42" x 64"]
Breaking out & through the wall!
Heather Baumbach
Bodies, 2021
hand dyed cotton batting, silk and cotton thread [ 30" x 23" x 7.5"]
Through the use of color, texture, and form, Bodies examines themes of relational proximity and community.
Rima Day
Story Unwritten I, 2021
Paper, thread [9" x 12" x 0.5" (opened)]
Cathryn Amidei
We Wrestled, 2019
cotton, rayon, paper, polyester, yarns [27" x 52"]
Bebe Kuhr
Gender Inclusivity, 2020
Repurposed Telephone Wire, Steel Wire Armature [10" x 8.5" x 3.5"]
Encompass a gender-inclusive world that avoids bias towards a particular sex or social gender.
Susan Bradford
Shadow Voices, 2018
Found photos, thread, mull, selected text pages, aluminum frame [42" x 36" x 3"]
A feminine lineage described not by the presence of women, but by their absence- the women removed and replaced with thread, mull and obscured pages painting a picture of a lineage lost to time, voices not heard.
Helen Geglio
Women's PPE: Breastplate, 2020
Embroidered and stiffened linen [20" x 18" x 4"]
These sculptural breastplates of women’s personal protective equipment (PPE) present a visual testament to the resilience of women during trying times. Somehow, amidst challenges and difficulties, we manage to clothe ourselves in an armor of fortitude, preserve a sense of humor and perspective, and then face forward. Afterall, women are so often the heavy lifters for real and sustainable change.
Kristi Kuder
She Had Her Doubts, 2015
Brass wire mesh, linen thread, beads [30" x 32" x 20" x 30" 32" x 20"]
Barbara Burns
Pas de Deux, 2016
Handwoven Tapestry: Mercerized cotton weft, seine twine warp [23.5" x 39.5"]
Pas de Deux is part of my Burlesque series which is based upon my own experience as a dancer and as a woman expressing herself. Begun with a backstage photo at a burlesque performance, Pas de Deux symbolizes the duality of a dancer’s persona and the woman within. This work also expresses the fellowship and respect that develops between dancers. The lace work patterning is a reminder of antique lacework. What was once costly and rare, handmade by women at a meager wage, has become ubiquitous, so commonplace, it even adorns the derrière. Pas de Deux won Bets of Show at Heallreaf 2 in London, England.
Roz Ritter
If it Wrinkles it Must be Real, 2014
Hand embroidery, crepe de chine, photo transfer of the artist [40" x 60"]
