Curator’s Statement

“Did you really do that?!” “Perhaps,” I replied slyly to my daughter. Then she one-upped me with a personal tale of her own. “Did you really say that?!” I asked in confused admiration. “Mostly,” she stated proudly, but cautiously, in case I disapproved. “Good for you!” I blurted wildly.

I grew up when individual expression, passions, and female power were tamped down—an indoctrination shared with many women of my generation. Thankfully, I also lived in a time of vibrant feminism that gave me the tools to reframe and reshape my early conditioning. I took for granted that we were on an unstoppable trajectory.

Last fall, when I contemplated my next NCWCA curatorial project, we were still in the grips of a pandemic, anti-abortion legislation was sweeping the nation, the threat to Roe v Wade became real, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan, months earlier, left me horrified about the fate of women there and around the world. I was deeply grateful for my relative privilege, but I was haunted by its tenuousness. These feelings of tenuousness, anger, and fear drove me to reframe my thinking, once again. I turned towards empowerment, the audaciously untamed, and our right to it!

It was important to select a theme that celebrates these qualities and gives space to examine urgent issues. Once selected and titled, I began to consider artists who embodied THE WILD SIDE. This evolved into a small invitational group anchoring various interpretations. I had recently become acquainted with Cynthia Brannvall, a recognized visual artist, professor of art history, and a NCWCA member. She had to be a part of this project, I decided! After reaching out to her, she enthusiastically agreed to jury the larger portion of this exhibition. It has been an unbridled and uncensored delight working with Cynthia and the amazing, untamed artists of THE WILD SIDE.

“Did you really do that?!” “You bet I did!!”

~Elizabeth Addison, NCWCA Exhibitions Chair

Elizabeth Addison MFA is a Berkeley-based visual artist, curator, and educator whose works are included in numerous private and public collections. Elizabeth’s practice encompasses printmaking, mixed media, digital media, and immersive installation. She daily records images on her walks and transforms them into mandalas of ‘the one… the universe.’ Her work ranges from examining California’s native flora and the cosmos to social justice and environmental equity. She is Exhibitions Chair for Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art as well as an Artist-in-Residence at Kala Art Institute and Creative Director for the Bay Area Women Artists’ Legacy Project.