CHICAGO—Woman Made Gallery (WMG) announces Quiet Piggy: We Cannot Be Silenced, a virtual group exhibition juried by Julie Carpenter. The exhibition features work in a variety of mediums by 58 artists from the United States and abroad.
Language has long been wielded as a weapon — misogynistic terms, often used by men, become instruments of control and erasure, with words used to diminish, demean, and silence women. Quiet Piggy: We Cannot Be Silenced is about the enduring power of art to confront disparaging language and reclaim agency. The exhibition confronts the language of degradation head-on. The title Quiet Piggy is deliberately provocative: a derogatory term crudely tethered to negative connotations about the female body, horrifyingly used to shame, silence, and marginalize. By reframing and challenging this insult, the exhibition subverts the term into a narrative of resistance.
Here, the term becomes a rally cry for resilience. Voices are not hushed but amplified. To remain silent in the face of such language is complicity; to speak and to defend is defiance. This exhibition insists that women’s voices, bodies, and truths cannot be reduced, censored, or erased.
Juror Julie Carpenter states: “The selected artwork in Quiet Piggy: We Cannot Be Silenced stands as both a declaration and a rally cry. In these dark times—when rights are threatened, voices are suppressed, and communities are tested—the artists in this exhibition respond with unmistakable defiance and a necessary blaze of optimism. Their work turns empathy, resilience, and solidarity into an illuminating force, proving that creative expression can still raise people up when the world feels unbearably heavy.”
Exhibiting Artists: Amended Archives, Olivia Rachel Austin, Carrie Bennett, Brooke Elizabeth, H. Buchholz, Patricia Brown, Laurie Buman, Sarah Chavez, Heather Crawford, Julianna Dail, Loren Dann, Whitney Dirks, Susanna Eisenman, Erin Rae, Jamie Frontiera, Ellie Goodliffe, Set Gozo, S. Grant, Sandra Guze, Jenn Book Haselswerdt, S Kessler Kaminski, Maegan Kirschner, Victoria Kowalczyk, Kim Laurel, Gayla Lemke, Maiyan Linane, Clarissa Martinez, Jen McNulty, Melisa of MWY Pottery, Lori Moretti, Irene Nelson, Kathleen Cecilia Nesbitt, Julia Niepert, Carolyn Olson, Gali Orlen, Suzanne Papiewski, Sylvia Phillips, Jill Sarver Rossi, Amy L Ruddy, Fran Sampson, Nicole Schulman, Virginia Shepley, Sitaaj, Sharon Stanczak, Wendy L Starn, Rebecca C. Steiner, Linda Storm, Kim Stuart, Sahar Tarighi, Jennifer Taylor, Scotti Taylor, Cheryl A. Thomas, Rhonda Urdang, Gail M. Willert, Madeline Witek, Denise Yaghmourian, Isabel Zeng, Jane Zich
About the Juror: Julie Carpenter serves on the Board of Directors of Woman Made Gallery. She is the former Director of Art & Programming at Epiphany Center for the Arts, and prior, served as the Executive Director of the Oak Park Art League, one of Illinois’ oldest, continually operating nonprofit art centers. In 2024, Julie was named one of Newcity Magazine’s Art50, recognized for curatorial leadership and contributions to Chicago’s arts community.
Quiet Piggy Press Release
(Banner image: artwork by H Buchholz)
Gallery Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12–5 PM | WMG is closed between exhibitions.
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1332 S Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607 | Street parking nearby
Statement on Organizational Neutrality
As a registered Illinois 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Woman Made Gallery is committed to its mission of supporting women and non-binary artists through inclusive and equitable programming. To maintain trust, legal compliance, and alignment with its values, WMG does not endorse or oppose political candidates or parties and refrains from promoting personal ideological or religious beliefs. All exhibitions, partnerships, and communications are guided by the gallery’s mission, with a focus on artistic merit, diversity of perspective, and respectful dialogue. Staff, board members, and affiliates are expected to distinguish personal opinions from organizational positions and to use WMG’s platform solely in service of its mission.
Thank You
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.
