Her Honour

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Artist: Sonja Czekalski

Title: Her Honour

Attribution: Her Honour, 2021, Sonja Czekalski

Year: 2021

Materials: Handmade flax paper and pulp, red wine stained lace, steel wire, and thread on a plaster cast.

Dimensions: 12”x 17”x 8”

Image Statement: Her Honor is a sculptural collar made in 2021 shortly after the passing of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The collar is a compilation of women, drawn with steel wire as their bones. Handmade flax paper as their skin, and pieces of my grandmother's lace as traces of their clothing. Fragmented text is printed on each woman's skin,from transcripts of Supreme Court Cases in which RBG fought for justice, equality, and empowerment for the marginalized. These cases include United States vs. Virginia (1995), Olmstead vs. L.C (1999), Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company (2007), Obergefell vs. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health (2015), and Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt, Commissioner, and Texas Department of State Health Services (2016). These monumental cases addressed the discrimination of women, poverty, the handicapped, and the LGBTQIA community. At the time I made this, I wanted to create a collar that Ginsberg could wear as a physical reminder of all of the women, minorities, and people she continues to serve and save. A reminder that equality for the marginalized is still an uphill battle. As the threat of overturning Roe v. Wade has become reality, and Obergefell v. Hodges is next, Her Honor commemorates Ginsberg’s legacy and I hope can spark courage and strength for those who need it in this time of political turmoil.