CHICAGO––In direct protest and response to the United States Supreme Court’s 6–3 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion in 1973, WMG put out a call for personal accounts to share and display in conjunction with Woman Made Gallery’s Roe 2.0 hybrid exhibition early in 2023. Individuals responded with a range of experiences and thoughts about abortion. Some signed their names and others stayed anonymous. WMG printed the stories and posted them at the gallery next to the visual contributions of 44 exhibiting artists during this important and powerful group exhibition.
The Dobbs v. Jackson verdict leaves people who have the capacity for pregnancy at the mercy of each individual state. Access to safe, legal abortions and reproductive healthcare is a basic human right that the U.S. government actively chooses to exploit. The denial of reproductive rights and access disproportionately affects women of color and women from economically disadvantaged communities. Our bodies and reproductive capabilities are not a political playground, and the government has no right to interfere in such personal and life-altering decisions.
We at WMG believe that art can and does create lasting social change. As an intersectional feminist organization, WMG stands in solidarity with pro-choice activists and organizations. This exhibition seeks to document artists’ voices in this time of urgency, as a means of resistance to facilitate change. We have decided to continue with the virtual part of this project indefinitely, and we are adding contributions as they are submitted.
View ROE 2.0 – A Virtual Exhibition Here
(Banner Image: artwork by Suki Liebow)
Woman Made Gallery is supported in part by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Illinois Arts Council Agency; the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. the Puffin Foundation, a major anonymous donor; and the generosity of its members and contributors.
