Unbound Visual Arts Exhibit & Program: Stronger Sisterhood!

UPDATE:

Check out the recorded panel discussions from UVA's "Stronger Sisterhood" Exhibit and related talks below:

Description posted by Unbound Visual Arts on YouTube:
"The Feb. 25, 2021 program for UVA's 'Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity' exhibit running from Jan. 29 - March 31, 2021. This program included Curator Paige Moreau, artists Linda Clave, Maia Monteagudo, and Nilou Moochhala and UVA's Brenda Gael McSweeney."
Link to Panel Discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBb6FCShhnM

Description posted by Unbound Visual Arts on YouTube:
"'Voices of Resilience -- Our Stories Matter' (March 4th 6:00 - 7:00 pm). Unbound Visual Arts is presenting its annual Women's History Month program. This year's free program complements UVA's current exhibit: 'Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity.' 'Voices of Resilience -- Our Stories Matter' is being presented by Janine Fondon, Bay Path U. Assist. Prof. with Dr. Demetria Shabazz & Dr. Lucie K. Lewis. The program includes Paige Moreau, UVA's curator for 'Stronger Sisterhood' and Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, a founding member of UVA, who introduced the panel and welcomed the audience. The presentation is about the intersecting lives of women in Massachusetts and beyond who have changed the course of history."
Link to Panel Discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAQFqUHlcbM

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"Stronger Sisterhood" now has 10 artists and is opening this month. Watch this space!

UPDATE:

Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity is now live at: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/stronger-sisterhood-representing-intersectional-identity/

Date: Online Exhibit: January 29 - March 31, 2021; Artists Panel: February 25, 2021 at 6pm

Location: Online Event (Register for Artists Panel Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__jxkEi_cT7OfuZG7X1qysA)

 

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From Unbound Visual Arts' website:

Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity

Curated by Paige Moreau

Opening January 2021

Artists: Linda Clave, Joanne Desmond, April Jakubec Duggal, Sara Gately, Brooke Jones, Maia Monteagudo, Nilou Moochhala, Diane Sheridan, Mary Vannucci, Andrea Zampitella

Nilou Moochhala, Singular Multiplexity, digital print, 24 x 18 inches, $200

Diane Sheridan, Three in the Subway, color digital photography, 11 x 14 inches, $200

Exhibit and publicity support from the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program (WGS) at Boston University, and the Gender & International Development Initiatives of the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center (GaIDI/WSRC)

Preliminary Curatorial Statement:

"As long as women are using class or race power to dominate other women, feminist sisterhood cannot be fully realized" ~ bell hooks

"Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity," is a virtual exhibition in a virtual gallery that explores the multidimensional and intersectional identities of women.

The history of feminism has often been described in “waves”. The first wave is defined by the fight for women’s suffrage from the late 19th to early 20th century. The second wave, in the mid 20th century, focused on gender equality in the workplace, the home, and in civil liberties. Both of these movements, while making great strides for women, failed to address deeper compounded layers of oppression and marginalization faced by many women. First and second wave feminism were largely white middle class women’s movements and were often exclusionary of women of color, the LGBTQ+ community, working class women, women with disabilities and so on. The movements kept a narrow scope by focusing on a one dimensional vision of what it means to be a woman assuming common experiences and levels of marginalization based on gender identity. In reality, oppressions experienced by way of gender do not exist in a vacuum but instead intersect with multiple facets of identity. In 1989, lawyer, civil rights activist, and critical race theorist, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” to describe how gender, race, class, and other individual characteristics intersect and augment oppressions. At present, the recognition of intersectionality’s importance in women’s rights has grown into a third wave of feminism that strives to recognize all the forms of oppression that female identifying people face.

Art created by a diverse range of female identifying artists is a key into visualizing and representing intersectional experiences. “Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity” showcases that women’s experiences are not one but many, and only through diversity in representation can we begin to grasp a three dimensional view of all women. How do our experiences as women differ due to other facets of our identity? How are we made stronger by recognizing and honoring these differences? How has the recognition of intersectional feminism grown and where is there more work to be done?

Ronni Komarow's latest Galatea exhibit: "Paths Well Traveled"

 From Ronni's Exhibit Handout:

Photo by Eric West

"All my life I have walked for solace, for socializing, for nurturing my soul. I have always believed that spaces, both indoors and out, are powerful, spiritual protagonists in our lives.

Growing up, I frequently strolled on South Broadway in Yonkers, NY with my best friend, Sonia. We met classmates all along the way. As an undergraduate in Philadelphia I walked through Center City and later as a graduate student I hiked over silent deep-woods trails in rural Vermont.

Here in Boston I walk along the banks of my beloved Chandler Pond. I take runs along the Charles River, and walk there with my husband and with close friends. Both Chandler Pond and the Charles River are constants in my life, and yet both are constantly changing, continual sources of wonder.

During the pandemic the outdoor spaces in my personal world have taken on epic proportions, nurtur- ing and healing, as I walk through them almost every day. The regular sharing of these spaces is key to my sense of connection to others in a world of social distancing.

This exhibition, 'Paths Well Traveled,' is my tribute to those spaces.

Many of the works here involve monotype, a technique where ink is painted on a non-porous surface and then transferred to paper. To evoke the feeling of traveling over a path, I used scroll-format printing, working with images that are perhaps eight or ten inches high — and as many as ten feet long. Even with drawing, this is an unwieldy format — and an exciting creative challenge."

On Gerry's Balcony, Trouville

Photo courtesy Ronni

to Run, to Become

Photo by Brenda Gael McSweeney

Our Next Addition to 'Women & UN Origins' Series, Dr. Marilyn Carr's "Women, the League of Nations and the UN: A Story in 3 Parts!"

A message from UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Director, Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney:

Hello Friends,

Hope you’ve been having a pleasant Winter Solstice season -- despite these trying times!

We're excited to announce the next addition to our new "Women & UN Origins" series of the BU-based UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development! Joining us once again in shaping and publishing the series is the Buenos Aires-headquartered Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender led by Gloria Bonder.

Our latest in the series is an article by Marilyn Carr entitled "WOMEN, THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS: A STORY IN THREE PARTS" -- see link below. Dr. Carr established UNIFEM’s Regional Office for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) based in Harare, and carried out many other trailblazing UN functions!

This feature provides Marilyn's point of view on "how the work of earlier generations of women formed the basis of future work on gender equality in the UN." It is indeed hard to imagine women having successfully gained the roles and influence that they did over time in the United Nations System, without being able to build on the foothold established during the League of Nations era.

We're grateful to Marilyn for her clear presentation of insights into women's priorities, and the intensity of their struggles, during this foundational chapter.

As Gloria has noted, "we want particularly to encourage young researchers and activists to know and value what has been done and achieved." Both our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network and the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender wish to highlight the importance of sharing accounts on the creation of key international institutions and pathbreaking initiatives, for today’s social justice activists, academics, students, and policymakers.

Happy reading! Article here: http://www.brendamcsweeney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Carr-LON_29Dec2020.pdf

Wishing you a bright 2021!
Be super well--Brenda

Brenda Gael McSweeney on behalf of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development;
with Gloria Bonder on behalf of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender

 

 League of Nations Pioneer

 Rachel Crowdy, circa 1932, University of Bristol, special collection, DM1584/1

Gathering at the African Training and Research Centre for Women, Ethiopia in the1970s

L to R: Marilyn Carr, Nellie Okello, Mary Tadesse, Brenda Gael McSweeney

 "One of my Regional Science and Technology Meetings while working at ATRCW. Note because of subject matter Governments sent men! Only women there were me and my young Ethiopian Assistant!" - Marilyn Carr

"Regional Meeting in Kathmandu co-organised by UNIFEM, IDRC (International Development and Research Centre) and WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing). Nancy Spence from IDRC in centre. Ela Bhatt {Founder, Self-Employed Women's Association, India - pictured to her left}, Nepali Government dignitary {at far left}, myself {Marilyn at right}, and Marty Chen {of WIEGO at far right}"- Marilyn Carr

In Celebration of Scholastique Kompaoré by Brenda Gael McSweeney

Scholastique 'Scho' Kompaoré: Pioneer for Women's and Girls' Access to Education, Friend and 'Co-wife'

(27 April 1943 - 25 December 2020)

~ Sentiments from Brenda Gael McSweeney ~

Selfishly, how we’ll miss her: her intelligence, wit, compassion — her laughter, curiosity, abundant love above all of family and friends — and all these we’ve been anticipating having for years to come —

Yet I well know that I should be grateful, for all the time we were, as Scho merrily dubbed us, “les co-épouses” — How lucky I’ve been, to have her in my life since the early 70s —

& it’s easy to be morose, and think about all that Burkina and beyond will now miss out on — when really the focus should be on all of Scholastique’s unique, magnificent contributions over decades to social justice and women’s education & empowerment — this fabulous tableau we’ll together paint out further in time —

How beloved Scho was — & always will be! And how she loved, & was so rightly proud, of each and every one of you!

RIP/UDP Scho

Love, Brenda

Photos courtesy of Brenda Gael McSweeney

Check Out Unbound Visual Arts' Current Exhibitions Now Online!

New Narratives: Reclaiming Asian Identity Through Story

https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/new-narratives-reclaiming-asian-identity-through-story-virtual/

Exhibit Catalogue: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/wp-content/uploads/LR-new-narratives-catalog-pdf.pdf

Curated by Leslie Anne Condon

Portraits in Refuge

https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/portraits-in-refuge-virtual-exhibit/

Exhibit Catalogue: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/wp-content/uploads/LR-portraits-catalog-pdf.pdf

Curated by Karen Smigliani

Momentary Spaces

https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/momentary-spaces-virtual-exhibit/

Curated by John Quatrale and Sequoya Molzan

CALL FOR ART

Stronger Sisterhood: Representing Intersectional Identity

https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/stronger-sisterhood-representing-intersectional-identity/

Mei-Mei Ellerman is featured in UVA's latest exhibit event as a Storyteller!

UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Affiliate Unbound Visual Arts (UVA) is hosting a new series called New Narratives: Reclaiming Asian Identity Through Story. Long active in our Network, Mei-Mei Ellerman is featured as a Storyteller in UVA's latest exhibition event with several NGO Partners. Congratulations to UVA, the Artists, and Storytellers engaged in this creative work!

More on UVA's latest exhibition Storyteller event here: https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/new-narratives-reclaiming-asian-identity-through-story-storyteller-series/

Mei-Mei's full story in UVA's link above:

Storyteller Artist Statement

A brief account of my decades-long search for identity and belonging. 

Though I still consider myself a world citizen, having lived in many countries I consider "home," it was only by attempting to weave together the endless threads of my families' tapestry (adoptive and biological), that I developed a full sense of my identity. 

According to my Maman, grandfather use to say, "Wherever you hang your hat is Home." That is how she felt as she spent decades living on different continents until she gently slipped away at the age of 94. I followed in both their footsteps, and never felt out of place, no matter what the country, even if I didn't speak the language. And yet, did I fully belong? Was I able to close my eyes and feel that I was surrounded by "my people?"

Photo courtesy Mei-Mei Ellerman

Mei-Mei also currently chairs the Gender and International Development Initiatives (GaIDI) at Brandeis University. 

A Glimpse at Environmental Heritage in Brighton!

Here's a message from DB Reiff about Lisa Hirsh of the Board of the Friends of Faneuil Library, a UNESCO/UNITWIN Affiliate, and Lisa's artwork, which resonates with our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network interests in Environmental Heritage. Brava to Lisa!

Hi all,

Some of you know that Lisa is a watercolor painter.

Recently she submitted a painting to the Newton Watercolor Society to be considered for its show "Nature in Watercolor." Not only was the painting, Vernal Pool in the Rain, accepted, it was awarded First Prize in the "Most Creative and Imaginative" category.

Here is the commentary by the judge, Barry Van Dusen, about the painting:

"Not only is this piece whimsical and FUN, it also shows a sophisticated use of repeated patterns and rhythms, and employs a gestural application of paint that provides great variety and movement. I could look at this for a long time, and still make new discoveries!"

I thought you'd enjoy this 90 second video of Lisa discussing what inspired her to paint the pool and the materials she used. It is shot on location in Brighton, Mass.

[Watch Video Here!] Vernal Pool in the Rain

Also, The Newton Festival of the Arts will broadcast its festival online this October and all of the art groups in Newton have been asked to participate, so you can see Lisa's painting and many Newton artists' work there.

Good September to all,

DB

Photo of Lisa Hirsh’s painting Vernal Pool in the Rain: courtesy Newton Watercolor Society

100 Years (and Counting), Artist Ronni Komarow's Installation in Galatea's new live Exhibition!

100 Years (and Counting), Artist Ronni Komarow's latest installation in Galatea's "Light From Above: Emerging Out of Isolation" Exhibition

Ronni Komarow's 100 Years (and Counting)

Photo by/© Eric West

Dates: September 4 through October 31, 2020
Location: Galatea Fine Art, 460 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118
Description: 100 Years (and Counting) is a tribute to the centennial of the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote. It is also a fund-raising project for Fair Fight, an organization founded by Stacey Abrams and dedicated to promoting voting rights for all qualified citizens. There are 100 gloves in Galatea artist Ronni Komarow's installation, signifying the centennial; white was the color worn by suffragists and is symbolic of the cause. Jennie Loitman Barron, one of the 100 women honored by Ronni, is also featured in "Women of Vision: The Brighton Allston Women's Heritage Trail Guide" of the Brighton-Allston Historical Society (BAHS), a UNESCO/UNITWIN Affiliate, at
http://www.bahistory.org/WomanOfVisonGuide.pdf
and in the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail organization‘s recently-launched Suffrage Trail at
https://bwht.org/road-to-the-vote-the-boston-womens-suffrage-trail/
Artist Ronni Komarow is affiliated with the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture & People-Centered Development anchored at Boston University's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program, an officer of the Board of Directors of Galatea Fine Art and of the BAHS, and an Alumna of Brandeis University's Women's Studies Research Center.
More Info: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/ronni-komarow-100-years-and-counting

UPDATE:

Ronni credits Amy Manson-Reese, Faneuil Librarian, for her assistance in locating research resources.

Ronni talk: video by Brenda Gael McSweeney

Ronni exhibit: video by Brenda Gael McSweeney

Announcing our new 'Women & UN Origins' series first entry by Margaret (Peg) Snyder!

A message from UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Director, Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney:

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a nice weekend!

We're writing to confirm the launch of our new UNESCO/UNITWIN Network "Women & UN Origins" series! Joining us in shaping and publishing the series is the Buenos Aires-based Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender led by Gloria Bonder.

First in the series is an article by Margaret (Peg) Snyder entitled "THEY CAN MOVE US BUT THEY CAN’T STOP US: Surviving the Early Years of 'Women and Development' in the United Nations," attached below. Dr. Snyder, long affiliated with our BU/WGS-based UNESCO/UNITWIN Network, is the Founding Director of UNIFEM (1978-89) as well as a co-founder of the African Centre for Women in 1971. This feature provides a firsthand view, in Peg’s words, of the "... history on the vagaries of establishing the women’s center in Addis and UNIFEM."

Thanks to Peg for her candid presentation of unique insights into these pivotal events --- and Brava for her pioneering contributions decade after decade!

As Gloria notes, we want "... particularly to encourage young researchers and activists to know and value what has been done and achieved." Our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network and the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender both wish to highlight the importance of sharing direct accounts on the creation of key international institutions and pathbreaking initiatives, for today’s social justice activists, academics and students, and policymakers.

Happy reading!

http://www.brendamcsweeney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Snyder-16July2020_ATRCW-UNIFEM_forUNITWIN.pdf

Cheers, & be well, Brenda

Brenda Gael McSweeney on behalf of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development;
with Gloria Bonder on behalf of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender

L to R: Marilyn Carr, Peg Snyder, Pamela Mboya, Brenda Gael McSweeney:
ATRCW/ECA, Addis (Circa 1975)!
Photo: Collection of Marilyn Carr

Margaret (Peg) Snyder at left, leaving party at ECA in 1977. Tall gentleman with glasses standing in centre is James Riby-Williams, Head of Social Division and Peg’s boss and supporter. At right, ATRCW colleague Marilyn Carr.
Photo: Collection of Marilyn Carr

UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Highlights Reel 2018-2020 Now Published!

The BU/WGS-based UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture & People-Centered Development has just published the Highlights Reel for September 2018-May 2020!

Please enjoy this visual portrayal of some of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network's impressive accomplishments in India, West Africa, and Greater Boston, featuring key special events and publications. The Highlights Reel for this period amplifies grassroots voices for our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Gender, Culture & People-Centered Development anchored at BU's Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program (WGS), including a new series on a young women's forum.

More here: http://www.brendamcsweeney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/HighlightsReel_23June2020.pdf