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Arts & Entertainment
October 5th, 2015
Powerful and Inspiring, Women’s Art Show Opens
By Constance White Oakton’s Koehnline Museum of Art is currently hosting its annual Women’s Art Exhibition. The show opened to the public on Oct. 1, appeasing anticipation felt by the local community. The show’s curators are Professors Kathleen Carot, Oakton’s Women and Gender Studies Program coordinator, and Judy Langston, Oakton’s Graphic Design and Multimedia Program coordinator. Each year, female artists are asked to contributed pieces relating to a particular theme chosen for that show. This year’s theme is “Feminism Across the Generations.” The curators work in tandem with the Women and Gender Studies Committee to present this exhibition, which seems to create a presentation with vast educational depth. When looking at these pieces displayed as they are, this writer/painter/ photographer/woman recognized technically complex pieces that also make commentaries on social issues relating to the evolution of feminism. Langston gave a wonderful statement
about the show’s own evolution: “The exhibition of art by women began many years ago when Oakton hosted a yearly event for women called Women’s Day. Women’s Day featured guest speakers, panel discussions, music and events of interest to women. One of Oakton’s now-retired faculty, Linda Zimmerman, was instrumental in creating Women’s Day. I felt that [the event] was very valuable, but I also felt that there was something missing from Women’s Day – an exhibition of art by women to give viewers an insight into what women are thinking, all done in a non-threatening, approachable way. Linda and I approached Nathan Harpaz in the Koehnline Museum with our idea, and the exhibition of art by women was born. It grew from one day per year to a month-long, yearly international exhibition.” This year’s exhibit showcases works made in a multitude of different ways. Digital art, photography, video, paintings, drawings, creative sculptures, wall decals, and hybrid pieces from two or more of these media can be seen displayed in the museum until Oct. 23. The “Feminism Across the Generations” theme creates a moving show for any viewer. The diversity of vibrant, emotional, and straight-up sassy work in this exhibit ensures pieces that will appeal to any audience. As Kathleen Carot said in a statement, “This is a show with wide appeal to both first-time attendees and seasoned art lovers.” She also described the exhibit “moving” and “thought-provoking.” Oakton Arts and Museum Studies student Erin Conoboy was impressed by the show. “Walking into the room, as a woman I was quickly filled with an empowerment that resonated with both striving and tenderness. The true colors of women, unleashed, reflect a feminine ferocity that flowed heavily and out of bounds,” she said. “The works were all coming from different spaces and were revealing through varying, even unexpected, mediums. As an artist, I left inspired.” Her beautifully expressed sentiment perfectly illustrates what it feels like to stand in the center of Women’s Art Exhibition. All I can say is, check it out. Photos by Constance White