In 2019, I began using the Manila envelope in my art. It started as a small experiment while documenting my family’s stories. One day, my mother told me about growing up in the Philippines and watching workers process abaca, also known as Manila hemp, a strong fiber derived from a native banana plant.
There’s a sacred space inside each of us that we rarely visit. Not the noisy thoughts in our head or the insights that propel us into the studio to work on the next art piece for an upcoming show. I’m talking about the deeper voice that sits beneath, the one that asks the question that we may not be ready to hear.
This exhibition showcases the work of 21 women artists, providing a vital platform to address long-standing inequities in the art world, particularly relevant given current challenges to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“The Swimsuits Series: A Pictorial Reflection on Women’s Rights,”was scheduled to be on display at the United Nations Headquarters for CSW 69 in March 2025, alongside Sawyer Rose “The Carrying Stones Project” for their two artists exhibition Rules, Responsibilities, Restraints: Women’s Pursuit of Equity , but the show was canceled two weeks before installation.
At CAA’s 2024 conference, a groundbreaking panel reimagined abstraction—not as escape, but as reclamation and resistance. Feminist artists are reshaping the canvas to confront loss, erasure, and histories of survival.
A selection of works from The Carrying Stones Project will be on display at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC, Feb 27-March 21, 2025.
Art can be an incredible and powerful tool for healing. You can look at art, create art, or teach an art expressive class to help yourself heal. My mother and brother both passed away from stomach cancer after a few weeks of each diagnosis. My brother passed away in 2018 at the age of 48 and my mother in 2023 at the age of 82.
Respect and collaboration can be surprisingly complicated and time-consuming. A case in point is the Jones Family mural in Marcellus, MI. A year ago I accepted a commission to redo the mural that depicted a family story, including “Chief Pokamon” wearing buckskin and holding a spear.
I draw the curtain. I could show you other pictures more pathetic in their hopelessness, but refrain. Lessons in making home neat and attractive; lessons in making family life stronger, sweeter, and purer by personal efforts of the woman; lessons in tidiness of appearance among women; lessons of clean and pure habits of everyday life in the home, and thus bringing to the women self-respect and getting for them the respect of others; how to keep the girls near the mother, and many other kindred subjects, need to be given to this class of women to-day.”
In recognition of the importance and interconnectivity of the experiences and voices of everyday people. The 2024 theme “Reel Stories. Real Change” features
Please see the themes that we have selected for 2023–24. Download the PDF and submit your abstract on our contact page.
