Woman Made Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the 10th International Open.
Each year, to correspond with the celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Woman Made hosts a group exhibition of an open theme, juried by a noted representative from the art world. This year, the gallery is thrilled to have visual artist and author, Audrey Niffenegger, select works for the show.
Continuing in the gallery’s tradition of serving as an advocate for women artists, the International Open honors the work of women artists in a variety of media such as sculpture, painting, and photography. Niffeneger represents an excellent choice as juror of the show due to her many achievements in the arts. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Newberry Library, Harvard’s Houghton Library, Northwestern University, and Temple University. Her bestselling novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife was critically acclaimed. Her most recent written work includes a visual novel, entitled, The Three Incestuous Sisters.
One of the most poignant images chosen by Niffenegger comes from Tulu Bayar, a Pennsylvania artist. Bayar’s photograph, Viscid #4, offers a dramatic juxtaposition as a woman rests on a tattered couch outside with a vacuum cleaner placed before her; the rugged terrain of the landscape mimics the worn furniture. Bayar writes, “I intend to disrupt the codes by which we normally read images of a woman, or a woman-artist. My photographs reflect my desire for powerful maternal femininity to combat and overwhelm abandonment and abuse.” The artist’s bold attitude and imaginative vision resonate in the other works by a variety of artists selected for the exhibition.
Participating artists include: Tulu Bayar, Sarah Beitler, Eve Biddle, Elan Bogarin, Cathi Kern Borushek, Mary Jo Bowers, Pritika Chowdhry, Suzanne Cohan-Lange, Niki Nolin and Sherry Antonini (collaborative work,) Mary Connelly, Jax Deluca, Henrietta DuBois, Erica Duffy, Phyllis Edelstein,
Kathleen Fenton, Josephine Ferorelli, Beatrice Fisher, Kate Friedman, Linda Frost, Katrina Funk, Joyce Goodman, Suzanne Gorgas, Kym Hepworth, Pamela Hobbs, Kelly Jo Asbury, Sujin Lee, Marcie Lenke, Beilie Liu, Regina Mamou, Elizabeth Mead, Sobha Menon, Ashley Nason, Mari Ogihara, Pamela Paulsrud, Mary Penn, Maria Serena Perrone, Michelle Yun-Hee Proffit, Mary Stone, Denise Moody Tackley, Elaine Toland, Daniella Woolf and Jing Zhou.
(Banner Image: artwork by Tulu Bayar)