One hundred years ago women received the right to vote when the 19th Amendment was ratified after a decades-long struggle known as the women’s suffrage movement. As an institution dedicated to the education and empowerment of women, Salem College commemorates the 100-year anniversary of that momentous event. An open call went out and artists were invited to reflect on how they would visually represent women’s suffrage and women’s empowerment.
The artwork in this exhibition generally falls into three categories: Activism, Celebration of Women’s Achievements, and Quiet Portrayals of women doing ordinary things. Some of the works were created specifically for this show and other pieces are part of an artist’s larger body of work created over several years. Each piece accepted into the exhibit represents a feeling or an idea about women: their strength, their resilience, and their quiet resolve.
Kimberly Varnadoe, Gallery Director of the Elberson Fine Arts Center and Professor of Art at Salem College, reviewed more than eighty entries submitted by forty-five artists from across North Carolina. The final selection includes works by more than 30 artists of diverse backgrounds.
