Ancestresses & Wise Women
In conversations with younger women at a local college, I discovered that many of them had not been exposed to much in the way of women's history or women's rights. This shocked the political activist in me and caused me to reflect on how I had been apprised of such information and the wealth of mentors I have had - ancestresses, teachers, artists, writers, activists, friends. Honoring these women and creating gatherings in which women could mentor each other became the vision behind this sculptural installation and the accompanying Conversations Among Women.
The sculptures begin with my paternal great grandmother, Emma, who shed an alcoholic husband, raised two daughters and sent them to college, built a successful dairy from the ground up, bucked community sentiment by hiring a black man as her manager and showed me that a woman can have ambition and take control of her life. There are activists and authors, such as Gloria Steinem, who reached me first through her establishment of Ms. magazine. Jean Shinoda Bolen, who led a Women's Wisdom retreat, which I attended after weaning my last child, and who now works tirelessly to bring forth a 5th United Nations sponsored World Women's Conference. Anaïs Nin, who wrote lyrical prose with a definite woman's perspective. And, of course, Marion Woodman, whose writings inspired my first series entitled Chrysalis.
The chrysalis forms of my first series evolved to become roughly seven-foot welded steel enclosures for a central wooden core - an idea influenced by Judy Chicago, who talked about its use as a defining symbol of woman. Symbols of the lives and wisdom of these women (books, shovels, fishing rods, MP3 players, maps, instruments, tools…) and written text are woven into the works. The text is also available for viewers on the wall beside each piece.
Since the cores were originally fence posts, they help create the boundary of the circle of the installation. This, in turn, references women's circles, the circles of support groups and consciousness-raising gatherings. The pieces are just above human scale, so provide a somewhat protective, overseeing presence for viewers and the participants in the Conversations Among Women, who have, in turn, shared their histories, collective wisdom, and perspectives.
The sculptures begin with my paternal great grandmother, Emma, who shed an alcoholic husband, raised two daughters and sent them to college, built a successful dairy from the ground up, bucked community sentiment by hiring a black man as her manager and showed me that a woman can have ambition and take control of her life. There are activists and authors, such as Gloria Steinem, who reached me first through her establishment of Ms. magazine. Jean Shinoda Bolen, who led a Women's Wisdom retreat, which I attended after weaning my last child, and who now works tirelessly to bring forth a 5th United Nations sponsored World Women's Conference. Anaïs Nin, who wrote lyrical prose with a definite woman's perspective. And, of course, Marion Woodman, whose writings inspired my first series entitled Chrysalis.
The chrysalis forms of my first series evolved to become roughly seven-foot welded steel enclosures for a central wooden core - an idea influenced by Judy Chicago, who talked about its use as a defining symbol of woman. Symbols of the lives and wisdom of these women (books, shovels, fishing rods, MP3 players, maps, instruments, tools…) and written text are woven into the works. The text is also available for viewers on the wall beside each piece.
Since the cores were originally fence posts, they help create the boundary of the circle of the installation. This, in turn, references women's circles, the circles of support groups and consciousness-raising gatherings. The pieces are just above human scale, so provide a somewhat protective, overseeing presence for viewers and the participants in the Conversations Among Women, who have, in turn, shared their histories, collective wisdom, and perspectives.
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Anaïs (Nin)
Author 2007 83 1/2 x 24 x 16 inches steel, wood core, wire, fabric, photograph, lock, mirror, books (non extant) Lessons learned from Anaïs: Inner chamber, inner life, labyrinth Poetic prose, feminine writing and thought Self knowledge through journaling leads to personal liberation Quotes from Nin's writings included in journals at base of sculpture and on central core:
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Earth
85 x 18 x 18 inches 2007 steel, wood core, suede, sand, shells, stones, feathers, flowers, seed pods In Corporate Collection Messages written on core: Transformation...Balance...Variety...Refuge...Rejuvenation... Listen...Wholeness...Connection... Breath...Spirit..Senses...Flow...Rhythm...Oneness... Expansiveness...Reverence...Harmony...Presence...Cycles |
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Gabrielle Roth
Dancer, Writer, Musician, Philosopher 2008 84 x 18 x 18 inches Steel, wood, painted canvas, glass, vellum, wire, feathers, MP3 player Quotes from Gabrielle written on red vellum strips:
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Judy (Chicago)
Artist, Author, Feminist, Educator 2008 84 x 25 x 18 inches Steel, wood, ceramic, quilting, string, ribbon, laminated paper, beads, tools, work gloves, tampons, wire, photo This piece was juried into the Honoring Women's Rights exhibition at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California, September 8, 2012 - January 7, 2013. Text and quotes from the writings of Judy Chicao on laminated paper on core:
Quotes from Judy's writings:
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Mother Clyde (Clyde Connell)
Sculptor, Family friend 2008 82 x 18 x 18 Steel, wood core, clay, paper maché, brown paper, fabric, stones, photo (non extant) Text on paper on core: Began sculpting in her 60's Social concerns, questions of human existence, church-based civil rights work, women's art support group Influenced by southern African-American culture, Eva Hesse's unorthodox materials and female imager, Alfred Gottlieb and Joseph Cornell Swamp materials - vines, clay; paper maché, farm machinery parts, collage, assemblage Swamp songs, Habitats, Ritual Places, Sentinels, Nests, Earth Figures, Non-persons, Ladder |
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Songwriters
2008 84 x 31 x 22 steel, wood core, paper maché, plaster, paint, guitar, records, compact discs, cassette tape, laminated photos, song sheets and text, yarn, guitar strings, copper wire, MP3 player (non extant) Text on songsheets and lyrics on MP3 player: Emily Sailers I gotta get a hammer and a nail Learn how to use my hands, not just my head I think myself into jail Now I know a refuge never grows From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose Cris Williamson What do you do for a living Are you forgiving, giving shelter Follow your heart, love will find you Truth will unbind you Seek out a song of the soul Bonnie Raitt Gonna get into it, babe Down where it's tangled and dark Way on into it, baby Down where your fears are parked Alanis Morissette That I would be loved even when I numb myself That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed That I would I would be good whether with or without you Carole King You've gotto get up every morning With a smile on your face And show the world All the love in your heart Des'Ree Cause I ain't moving from my face, from my race, from my history I ain't moving' from my love, my peaceful dove, means too much to me And loving self can be so hard, honesty can be demanding Learn to love yourself it's a great, great feeling Joan Armatrading I said,"Show some emotion Put expression in your eyes Light up if you're feeling happy But if it's bad then let those tears roll down." Ani DiFranco I do it for the joy it brings because I"m a joyful girl because the world owes me nothing and we owe each other the world I do it because its' the least I can do I do it because I learned it from you I do it just because I want to because I want to Joni Mitchell I search my soul My heard and in my mind To try and find forgivenss This is someone's child With pain unreconciled Filled up with father's hate Mother's neglect I can forgive, but I will not forget Julie Gold From a distance, there is harmony, and it echoes through the land. It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace, it's the voice of every man. Stephanie Davis When the last thing we notice is the color of skin, And the first thing we look for is the beauty within, When the skies and the oceans are clean again, Then we shall be free. When we're free to love anyone we choose, When this worlds big enough for all different views, When we're all free to worship from our own kind of pew, Then we shall be free. Sarah McLachlan And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it I won't fear love And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it I won't fear love. |
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Vera
Maternal Great Aunt 2008 73 x 24 x 21 inches steel, wood core, bottle, silk plants, feathers, horn photo, paint Text on wine bottle: Connection to the land Living on the homestead Heritage Plant propagation Cattle, turkeys, chickens Kept goldfish in the stock tank Potted plants hanging from the liveoak tree Preserved her mineral rights and used the lease money to have ice cream delivered and buy a new Cadillac each year Kept canned goods and dandilion wine in storm cellar German, Lutheran, south Texas country |
