This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. In celebration, the Muscatine Art Center is hosting three simultaneous exhibits featuring female artists: Hard Won, Not Done: Eastern Iowa Women Artists’ Invitational, Letters to My Ancestors: The Watercolors of Tara Moorman, and The Feminist To Do List by Susan Lenz. All three exhibits are up through April 12, 2020.
Hard Won, Not Done is a vibrant collection of 2-D and 3-dimensional work by 24 women artists, all working in Eastern Iowa in a variety of different mediums. The artists were intentionally chosen to showcase work by women hailing from different generations, ethnic backgrounds, and personal life experiences.
Two thought-provoking panel discussions will be held, the first on Sunday, Feb 9 from 1:30-3:00 PM featuring artists Kristin Quinn, Miriam Alarcon Avila, Cecile Houel, and Nancy Purington. The second panel discussion will be held on Thursday, March 26th from 5:30-6:30 PM, featuring Rose Frantzen, Jean Berry, Monica Leo, Elizabeth Shriver, and Jo Myers-Walker.
Letters to My Ancestors: The Watercolors of Tara Moorman is a large collection of work by the Cedar Rapids-based artist, who began a journey into her own family’s past after discovering a box of old family photographs. Spanning a century of time from the 1860’s to the 1960’s, each delicately crafted piece is paired with the artist’s writing about the person or group of people pictured, giving us a glimpse into their own unique stories.
Lastly, The Feminist To Do List by South Carolina-based artist Susan Lenz is a collection of altered “Sun Bonnet Sue” quilt blocks in 10-inch wooden hoops, onto which she has embroidered very modern call to arm phrases, such as “Challenge the Status Quo”, “Resist Patriarchy”, and “Dismantle Gender Injustices”. The pairing of the otherwise demure images with defiant feminist statements is a humorous introduction to the other two exhibits.
Listen to the conversation here with Melanie Alexander, Director of the Muscatine Art Center, about additional details of each exhibit, the role museums play as a space for social commentary, and how the creation of these three shows has helped to forge stronger relationships with women artists living and working in Eastern Iowa.
The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine. Admission is free of charge although donations are encouraged. Hours are Tues/Wed/Fri from 10AM-5PM, Thurs 10AM-7PM, Sat & Sun 1-5PM.
You can view a calendar listing additional events in Iowa celebrating the ratification of the 19th amendment here.
