March 2024 OEI Bulletin

THE OEI BULLETIN

This March, Porter’s is celebrating Women’s History Month and Disability Awareness Month. Women’s History Month is focused on learning about and uplifting influential and powerful women. Disability Awareness Month is about raising awareness of employment needs and contributions

made by individuals with all types of disabilities. In this edition of the OEI Bulletin, we have articles about disabled women in art, Frida Kahlo, Ava DuVernay, and Alice Guy-Blanché. We also have a piece from guest writer, Jackie Murray. We hope you enjoy reading it!

Photo via Unsplash by Gayatri Malhotra

Women on the Job Site

By Jackie Murray - Guest Writer

When people think of my job title, most people think about fabric, paint colors, and art. While that is definitely a large part of what I do, there is so much more to uncover. Over the past two years that I have been at Miss Porter’s School I have worked on many projects. Humphrey, Colony, New Place, Lathrop,and Keep dorm renovations, just to name a few. These projects have all been uniquely different but very similar at the same time. One unifying factor is that I am typically the only woman on the job site.

Construction is a male dominated industry, there is no disputing that. My role as Director of Campus Planning and Design requires me to be on job sites, and oftentimes give direction and feedback, sometimes critical. During the summer of 2022 I was working on Colony and Humphrey, and was also in my third trimester of pregnancy with my daughter, Kennedy. It’s one thing to walk onto a construction site as the only woman in the room, but it’s another to walk onto the job site with a baby bump. The first day was hard. I didn’t feel confident and I was tired. But then I remembered something that has stuck with me to this day. I love what I do, and I deserve to be here. I came back the next day with a newfound sense of confidence that I carried with me throughout the summer. By the end of the summer, the projects were complete, and Kennedy was born on Labor Day, ironically.

I came back to Porter’s in November, ready to jump back in where I left off. But something was different about me now. I was now a girl mom. I looked at projects differently, because I had a new perspective. Having Kennedy allowed me to look at my campus projects through a new lens. Over the following months Miss Porter’s installed a self sanitizing baby changing station (Pluie) in Main and we switched our menstrual products provider to Aunt Flow. These changes may seem small in scale, but they add up to something much larger. When a new parent walks into Main now, exhausted, overwhelmed, with a crying baby, they know that they have a clean and safe place to change their child. Both Aunt Flow and Pluie believe that families and everyone who menstruates, deserve access to high quality, affordable products. Pluie is a woman owned company, owned and operated by an MPS Ancient, Addie Gundry. Aunt Flow is also founded and run by a woman, Claire Coder, who at 26 years old has run several successful businesses.

Lastly, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it wasn’t for access to high quality, affordable, childcare. As a Miss Porter’s School employee, I am able to send Kennedy to Schoolhouse, our campus daycare. Before I accepted my position here, my husband and I were touring local daycare centers, trying to find a place to send our daughter. Daycare is expensive. There is no sugar coating this fact. When I accepted the position at Porter’s, I learned about Schoolhouse. Employees pay for Schoolhouse, but it is significantly less expensive than other Farmington daycares. Throughout the United States many women struggle to find affordable, quality childcare, and oftentimes their careers get put on pause. Being a stay at home mom is a job, and a hard job at that. However, I believe that it is important for women to have a choice in the matter. I love my job and I love my daughter. I am grateful to have access to childcare that allows me to continue working on the projects that I love.

As we progress into the spring trimester, the excitement of the coming summer is starting to set in. We are starting to plan for summer projects and have students and their needs at the forefront of our minds. My goal for this summer’s projects is to make both my daughter and the students proud. Construction may be a male dominated industry, but that’s no reason for girls not to show up at the table. I am incredibly lucky to work at a place that encourages me to be on site and speak my mind. I have supportive, hard working coworkers, and

a newfound confidence when working on construction projects. Please use me as a resource if anyone has any interest in the construction or design field. I would love to answer any questions!

Alice Guy-Blaché

By Aizah Ali

Alice Guy-Blanché was born on July 1st, 1973, in Saint-Mandé, Paris, France. She grew up traveling between Chile and France. During her childhood, her family faced many tragedies that led to her looking for employment to support her family. In 1894, she began working as a secretary for Léon Gaumont, an inventor and manufacturer of motion-picture cameras. Gaumont made short films to market his cameras, but GuyBlanché believed the movie could be better. Gaumont allowed her to work with the cameras, leading to the creation of her first short film and the first narrative film, “La Fée aux Choux” (“The Cabbage Fairy”), and her debut as the world’s first female director and filmmaker in 1896.

Following Guy-Blanché’s debut, Gaumont appointed her as his company’s film production head. She spent the next decade supervising and directing hundreds of films and created a studio system years before the development of Hollywood. Since the film industry was not idealized by men, Guy-Blanché and other women had endless opportunities to work in film and represent themselves without the influence or restraints of gender roles at that time. This led to Guy-Blanché being able to open the Solax Company. She made great strides at Solax, making movies that discussed complex topics and showed diversity within a narrative, opening a state-of-the-art studio in New Jersey, and developing the film industry.

As the film industry gained more popularity with men, women started to lose control of the industry and their jobs. More production companies began to open up, leading to the Solax Company’s loss of revenue and eventual bankruptcy. She was facing struggles in her personal life and could not find work in film because the business was no longer hospitable to women who were looking to make their own films. She passed away on March 24th, 1968, at the age of 94, leaving a legacy for her kids and the film industry

“La Fée aux Choux” Remake Guy-Blanché on set

How Frida Kohlo Celebrates Disability and Feminism through Art

By Mary Zheng

Born on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico, Kahlo’s life was fraught with physical pain and emotional turmoil from a young age. At six, she contracted polio, leaving her with a limp that would endure throughout her life. Then, at eighteen, a devastating bus accident fractured her spine, pelvis, and ribs, condemning her to a lifetime of excruciating pain and multiple surgeries. It was during her agonizing recovery that she turned to painting as a form of therapy and self-expression.

Kahlo’s art became a mirror of her tumultuous inner world, an unfiltered reflection of her pain and unyielding spirit. Through her self-portraits, she transforms her suffering into profound works of art. Central to Kahlo’s artistic vision was her unwavering commitment to advocating for disability rights. In an era when disabilities were often stigmatized and marginalized, she fearlessly embraced her physical limitations, refusing to be defined by them.

For example, in her work, Tree of Hope, Remain Strong, Kahlo displays two images of herself. On one side of the work is the daytime kahlo with her back cut open, representing the injuries and impairments she suffered after her bus accident. On the right side the image is Kahlo sitting confidently in the evening holding an orthopedic corset and a flag saying “ Tree of Hope, Remain Strong.” The barren landscape behind her has two fissures which are a metaphor of the wounds on her back. In this portrait, by putting the two images together, one a victim of the botched tragedy, the other the heroic survivor, the artist turns her work into a retablo–an act of faith—in which she takes charge of her destiny and becomes her own savior.

Moreover, Kahlo’s art was imbued with a fierce feminist consciousness. In a landscape dominated by male artists, she carved out her own space by focusing on themes of female identity, sexuality, and autonomy. One of Kahlo’s most enduring contributions to the feminist discourse was her illustration of the female body. She rejects the idealized depictions of women prevalent in art history while embracing her own physicality with an unflinching gaze, confronting viewers with the raw realities of womanhood. From the bold colors of her traditional Tehuana dresses to the haunting imagery of childbirth and fertility, her art celebrated the power and resilience of the female experience.

Portrait of Frida Kahlo

Tree of Hope, Remain Strong is a Surrealist oil on fiberboard painting created by Frida Kahlo in 1946.

The Voices and Impact of Disabled Women in Visual Art

By Georgia Achilles

The voices of disabled women are often silenced and their experiences hidden. When recognized, their identities are often viewed separately, and the intricate intersections of womanhood and disability are ignored. Through artistic mediums like drawing, painting, and sculpture, many disabled women have expressed their intersectional identities and experiences. These expressions have the power to represent disabled women, appreciate the beauty of disabled womanhood, and advocate for more positive systems and social standards which can make the lives of disabled women more equitable. The experiences of disabled women are complex and diverse, and translate to beautiful art with major influence.

Kusama was born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan. She works in many mediums, from painting to photography to sculpture. Her works center diverse subjects including animals, landscapes, people, and often pumpkins. Her artwork is easily recognizable due to her signature avante-garde style, which is marked by bold colors, organic shapes, and polka dots. Her pumpkin motif was influenced by her formative experiences on her family’s farm, where she came to recognize them as having a “humorous form” and “human-like quality”. Her use of polka dots is linked to the use of repetition in art therapy, and is used as “a way to infinity”, melding people and objects with the universe. Her immersive, engaging artwork has made her one of the first women artists to name and replicate mental illness in her work. Her childhood in a chaotic, abusive household led her to develop obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenic hallucinations. Her expression and view of mental illness often intersects with ideas of womanhood as she explores how the female experience has impacted her mental health.

Kusama, Yayoi. Pumpkin. 1994. Kusama, Yayoi. Infinity Mirrored Room. 1965. Yayoi

Curtis, Lois. The Women Of Olmstead. 2014.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1967, Lois Curtis was an incredibly influential American artist and activist. As a child, Curtis was diagnosed with cognitive and developmental disabilities, which, combined with anti-Blackness in federal systems, led to her involuntary placement in psychiatric hospitals, jails, and other often inadequate institutions. While confined in these institutions, she was often sedated rather than productively treated, which deeply impacted her mental and physical wellbeing. In her adult life, Curtis became a leader in the disability rights movement, and eventually became the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case L.C. vs. Olmstead. Ruling in favor of Curtis, the court decided that “the unjustified segregation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act”, and that whenever possible, public entities and institutions must provide community-based services to persons with disabilities. Beyond her activism, Curtis was an artist who worked in acrylic paint and pastels, creating primarily portraits of friends and family. Her artwork is compositionally simplistic, yet bold in color and texture. Her portraits often recognize other disabled women who are rarely represented in artwork, humanizing and honoring them and their experiences.

Curtis, Lois. Untitled. 2012.

Ava DuVernay

By Sophia Seraile Yam

Ava DuVernay is a famous Black female screenwriter, director, filmmaker, and producer. She has made waves in the film industry, she is highly nominated and has won numerous awards for her work. DuVernay was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Lynwood, CA, and was raised by her mother and stepfather with four siblings. DuVernay’s Aunt Denise inspired her love for art, literature, and theater, and even worked a second job so DuVernay could pursue her passion. DuVernay says that every summer her family would spend time in Lowndes County, Alabama, where she would witness the historic civil rights movement. In fact, her time in Alabama directly inspired her to direct the blockbuster, Selma. She went to the University of California as a double BA major in English literature and African-American studies. DuVernay is also an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Colin in Black and White, a popular Netflix tv series was directed and produced by DuVernay. It follows the exploration of NFL star Colin Kapernick’s high school years and the experiences that led him to become an activist. This show emphasises on Colin’s struggle to become both the athlete and man he wants to embody. Young Colin is a African-American boy being raised by white adopted parents in California, where he experiences racism on a daily. This show is an eye-opener for people to understand the male teenage Black experience during the mid 90s and early 2000s. Ava DuVernay’s storytelling in this series is powerful yet subtle, and incorporates racism from the past to explain present-day issues.

DuVernay’s works range from biographies to lighter topics, such as Disney. She also directed A Wrinkle in Time, a Disney movie based off of the book by Madeleine D’Engle. The story goes, after the disappearance of her science father, three celestial beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend through space and time in order to find him. DuVernay’s artistic side shines through in this movie. The way she uses nature to create a unique world is breathtaking.

Alice Guy-Blaché - Aizah Ali

Bibliography:

Dargis, Manohla. “Overlooked No More: Alice Guy Blaché, the World’s First Female Filmmaker (Published 2019).” The New York Times, 9 September 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/obituaries/alice-guyblache-overlooked.html. Accessed 1 March 2024.

Paranick, Amber, and Pamela B. Green. “Alice Guy-Blaché: Cinema’s First Woman Director in Newspapers | Headlines & Heroes.” Library of Congress Blogs, 26 January 2022, https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/01/alice-guy-blache/. Accessed 1 March 2024.

How Frida Kohlo Celebrates Disability and Feminism through Art - Mary Zheng

“Frida Kahlo: Tree of Hope, Stand Firm.” Art History Project, www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/frida-kahlo/ tree-of-hope-stand-firm/.

“Frida Kahlo.” Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/artists/frida-kahlo.

“Frida Khalo’s 6 Disability-Themed Paintings.” Disability Rights Florida, disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/ Frida_Khalos_6_Disability_Themed_Paintings.

“Kahlo’s Body: Confronting Trauma in Art.” Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation, 8 July 2015, www.jhrehab.org/2015/07/08/frida-kahlos-body-confronting-trauma-in-art/.

“Medicine in the Arts: ‘Tree of Hope, Remain Strong,’ Frida Kahlo, 1946.” Medicine in the Arts, NYU School of Medicine, 2022, medhum.med.nyu.edu/view/10370.

The Voices and Impact of Disabled Women in Visual Art - Georgia Achilles Tate. “Who Is Yayoi Kusama?” Tate Kids, www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-yayoi-kusama. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

Roberts, Sam. “Lois Curtis, Whose Lawsuit Secured Disability Rights, Dies at 55.” The New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/lois-curtis-dead.html. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

“Yayoi Kusama: ‘Art Is an Endless Struggle, Art Is Love, Art Is Life’ （#1（: Blog.” Benesse Art Site Naoshima, benesse-artsite.jp/en/story/20220930-2466.html. Accessed 08 Mar. 2024.

Greenberger, Alex. “Before Yayoi Kusama Made ‘Infinity Rooms,’ She Created Standout Political Works.” ARTnews.Com, 18 May 2020, www.artnews.com/feature/yayoi-kusama-most-famous-works-1202687572/. Accessed 08 Mar. 2024.

“Feminist Artist: Yayoi Kusama.” Subversive Sweetheart, 7 Nov. 2017, subversivesweetheartfatp.wordpress. com/feminist-artist/. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

“Price Database.” Artnet, www.artnet.com/artists/yayoi-kusama/3. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

Spyscape. “True Superhero Yayoi Kusama: Art Inspired by Mental Illness.” SPYSCAPE, spyscape.com/article/ true-superhero-yayoi-kusama-inspiring-joy-insight-into-mental-illness. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

“Performance Art.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/performance-art. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

“The Art of Autism Mourns the Passing of Lois Curtis: Artist and Disability Advocate.” The Art of Autism, 12 Nov. 2022, the-art-of-autism.com/disability-history-month-lois-curtis-artist-and-disability-advocate-paved-the-way/. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

Roberts, Sam. “Lois Curtis, Whose Lawsuit Secured Disability Rights, Dies at 55.” The New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/lois-curtis-dead.html. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

Roberts, Sam. “Lois Curtis, Whose Lawsuit Secured Disability Rights, Dies at 55.” The New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/lois-curtis-dead.html. Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

(OCR), Office for Civil Rights. “Community Living and Olmstead.” HHS.Gov, 31 July 2023, www.hhs.gov/ civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/community-living-and-olmstead/index.html#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20 Supreme%20Court’s%201999,with%20Disabilities%20Act%20(ADA). Accessed 01 Mar. 2024.

Ava DuVernay - Sophia Seraile Yam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ava_DuVernay

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ava-duvernay

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1148550/awards/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12624928/

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/29/1050214521/netflix-colin-in-black-and-white-ava-duvernay-colin-kaepernick https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620680/