CHICAGO––Woman Made Gallery (WMG) proudly presents Through a BIPOC Lens: Decolonizing Feminism, a group exhibition featuring works by 35 artists. Juried by Monica J. Brown and Donna Jackson, this exhibition creates a platform for the voices of BIPOC women, challenging the art world’s historical underrepresentation of these communities.
Feminist thought encompasses many perspectives, yet mainstream feminism has often been criticized for its lack of inclusivity. In response, movements like “womanism,” coined by Alice Walker in 1979, emerged to specifically address the needs of Black feminists and women of color. With Through a BIPOC Lens, WMG takes a critical approach to feminism, exploring its intersections with race, culture, and representation.
A stark reminder of the ongoing disparities in the art world comes from the Burns Halperin Report, published by Artnet News on December 12, 2022: “Work by Black American women comprises only 0.5% of acquisitions at 31 U.S. art museums.” While this statistic focuses solely on Black women, it highlights the broader issue of underrepresentation for BIPOC women artists.
This powerful exhibition aims to shed light on these overlooked voices. Through a BIPOC Lens: Decolonizing Feminism will be on view from October 12 to November 9, 2024, at Woman Made Gallery, 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607.
Exhibiting Artists: Ragni Agarwal, Nouf Al Soghyar, Brooke Bartholomew, Catron Booker, Cheryl Boone, A.C. Bullard, Chlee, Colleen L Coleman, Sequoya Hayes, Jinghan He, Trang Huynh, Jee Hwang, Natalie Jackson, DeJa Jovon, Betty Young Kim, Youree Kim, Oriana Koren, Nandini Kuppa-Apte, Tye Moores, Amuri Morris, Moraa Nyaribo, Courtney Nzeribe, Linda Obobaifo, Aala Oni, Chinenye Ozowalu, Michele Pierson, Corinne Pompéy, Gyona Rice, Robyn Leah, Elizabeth Sarpong, Jusun Jessie Seo, Mandisa Smith, JaVon L Townsend, Jill Wells, Angela S. Williams
About the Jurors: Monica J. Brown and Donna Jackson
Monica J. Brown explores memory, history and personal mythology through visual art, sound, movement, writing and performance. Her visual art has been exhibited widely throughout Chicago, nationally and internationally. Some exhibition spaces include: SooVAC, Minneapolis, MN; The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ; and Ucross Art Gallery, Ucross, WY. Her work has been written about in Newcity Art, the Chicago Reader, the Detroit Art Review, and MPLSART. She has created murals with Chicago’s Hubbard Street Mural Project, and Detroit’s Live6 Neighborhood Arts Project. Her work is currently represented by Black Art in America and SoNa Chicago Gallery. Monica is a Ucross fellow, and has attended residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts, Ragdale, and Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, among others. She has received grants from Chicago DCASE and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. She is also a recipient of Columbia College’s Albert P. Weisman Award. Monica earned a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and an MA from Columbia College Chicago. She resides in Chicago, Illinois. Find out more at https://linktr.ee/mymyriadmuse.
Donna Jackson graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in University Studies, minoring in arts and engineering. She is the founder of DMJStudio, a creative studio devoted to developing art projects and events that closes gaps between community and culture through public art, exhibits, film, and social collaboration. The studio’s desire is to make art and culture accessible everywhere and to everyone. The focus of many of the projects developed by the studio address the narratives of women, people of color, city life of the middle and lower-class and global citizenship.
To ensure DMJStudio events and projects are free, Donna works and provides branding and design services to cultural and non-profit institutions and individuals. Organizations such as United Way, Charles H, Wright Museum of African American History to Focus Hope, Neighborhood Service Organizations, City of Houston, and Detroit Public Schools. Donna currently works as a marketing specialist for Plymouth District Library in Michigan while continuing her consultations with non-profits and artists in brand identity development, creating cultural experiences and digital platform management. For more on Donna and her work, visit https://www.dmjstudio.com/.
Through a BIPOC Lens: Decolonizing Feminism Press Release
Image: Artwork by Elizabeth Sarpong
Gallery Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12–5 PM CST | WMG is closed between exhibitions.
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.
