Women display art
Mick Moore
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: The Edge
The Western Illinois University Women's Center has organized a showcase of works by local female artists on the first floor of the Leslie F. Malpass Library. It will be displayed until March 31 in honor of Women's History Month.
Students, staff and community members were invited to submit pieces for the month-long showing. The pieces in the exhibit cover a wide and interesting range, from photography and watercolor paintings to less-traditional mixed media pieces.
Although it is the second annual women's art show that the Women's Center has organized, it is technically the fifth women's art show since its formation in 1986.
Women's studies major Rachael Lane resurrected the tradition in 2007 and worked with current art major Jennifer Howard to put together last March's show. Howard, whose oil paintings and black-and-white photography are on display, was the primary organizer of the event this year.
As the Women Center's resource librarian and student assistant, Howard was pleased with the response from female artists in the community.
"We definitely had a good amount of submissions, and none of the pieces submitted were rejected," Howard said. "The library was great for assuring us that censorship would not be an issue."
Among the fifteen pieces featured, three were selected in a first, second and third place style awarding for best in show by Charles Wright, the chair of the art department.
In first place was Janice Rockwell's "Day View," a watercolor and metallic ink piece of a window's view of the outside world. This piece was part of a set. The other work, "Night View," is also featured in the show.
In second place was "Diamonds and Bits" by Jo Sanders. The piece is an example of "slit tapestry," one of the oldest weaving techniques known, and is a very visually stimulating piece.
Margaret Sinex's "Sandy Ross," a stunning and detailed charcoal nude, took third place.
One of the main goals of this event was an attempt to further integrate women into the mainstream art community. Although opportunities to participate in and learn the arts are more available for women today than in the past, in many areas it is still a struggle.
It wasn't until after the 1970s feminist movement that major art institutions and history publications even began featuring female artists, and even today it could be argued that they remain underrepresented.
Jan Rockwell, a local artist and Western alum, spoke about the event and her relationship with Western. Rockwell owns the Air and Water studio and gallery outside of Macomb. She received her undergraduate degree in art education and a masters in school counseling at Western.
"I think this event is a really good idea, and I'm glad the Women's Center put it together," Rockwell said. "It's a fairly new thing to have the presence of women in the art community, and this kind of showcasing is perfect for getting that idea out there."
Students, staff and community members were invited to submit pieces for the month-long showing. The pieces in the exhibit cover a wide and interesting range, from photography and watercolor paintings to less-traditional mixed media pieces.
Although it is the second annual women's art show that the Women's Center has organized, it is technically the fifth women's art show since its formation in 1986.
Women's studies major Rachael Lane resurrected the tradition in 2007 and worked with current art major Jennifer Howard to put together last March's show. Howard, whose oil paintings and black-and-white photography are on display, was the primary organizer of the event this year.
As the Women Center's resource librarian and student assistant, Howard was pleased with the response from female artists in the community.
"We definitely had a good amount of submissions, and none of the pieces submitted were rejected," Howard said. "The library was great for assuring us that censorship would not be an issue."
Among the fifteen pieces featured, three were selected in a first, second and third place style awarding for best in show by Charles Wright, the chair of the art department.
In first place was Janice Rockwell's "Day View," a watercolor and metallic ink piece of a window's view of the outside world. This piece was part of a set. The other work, "Night View," is also featured in the show.
In second place was "Diamonds and Bits" by Jo Sanders. The piece is an example of "slit tapestry," one of the oldest weaving techniques known, and is a very visually stimulating piece.
Margaret Sinex's "Sandy Ross," a stunning and detailed charcoal nude, took third place.
One of the main goals of this event was an attempt to further integrate women into the mainstream art community. Although opportunities to participate in and learn the arts are more available for women today than in the past, in many areas it is still a struggle.
It wasn't until after the 1970s feminist movement that major art institutions and history publications even began featuring female artists, and even today it could be argued that they remain underrepresented.
Jan Rockwell, a local artist and Western alum, spoke about the event and her relationship with Western. Rockwell owns the Air and Water studio and gallery outside of Macomb. She received her undergraduate degree in art education and a masters in school counseling at Western.
"I think this event is a really good idea, and I'm glad the Women's Center put it together," Rockwell said. "It's a fairly new thing to have the presence of women in the art community, and this kind of showcasing is perfect for getting that idea out there."
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