How this special art gallery was made
for women by women
AT A GLANCE
Women artists are still treated differently from men. — Yoko Ono
When we think about great classical artists, we mostly only remember male artists. Try it for yourself, can you think of any women artists who rose to fame alongside the likes of Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and so on? One might also notice that even the symbolizations of women in artworks come from a male gaze-y point of view.
As Lynda Mead points out in her book, The Female Nude: Art, Obscenity and Sexuality, you would find that most of the artworks considered as "high art" were nude paintings of women. She notes that in these paintings, women were often depicted as having idolized bodies. They were drawn with body features that the average woman at the time did not have. She argues that this idolized vision in the art world is due to the increasing power of men in a capitalist world.
Fortunately, in recent years, the art world has found a shift toward a more inclusive space. Nowadays, more people are aware of works by notable female artists such as Frida Kahlo, Margaret Keane, Georgia O'Keeffe, and many more. These are largely due to the collectives of women in the art industry that continue to grow over the years.
One such collective is Zonta International. Zonta found its start in 1919 in Buffalo, New York. Its name is derived from a Lakota Sioux Indian word that means "honest and trustworthy." What started as a small collective of businesswomen by Marian de Forest has now grown into a global movement consisting of over 29,000 members in 62 countries. Zonta International has put work into putting up programs hoping to provide better opportunities for women, improving the livelihood of women in their local communities, giving scholarships, and one day achieving a world free of violence against women and girls. Through their efforts, they wish to create a world in which women's rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential. As their vision states, “In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence.”
Just recently, Zonta International held the 22nd Zonta International District 17 Conference at the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC, Taguig. During this gathering, Zontians from all over the country and our neighbors in Asia were provided a venue to provide one another with ideas on how to uplift fellow women. A highlight of the conference was an art exhibit entitled, “Her Story in Color: Celebrating the Diversity and Creativity of Women.” It contained the works of several Filipina artists and was put together by Mita Rufino, in collaboration with ManilArt and National Art Fair curator Danny Rayos del Sol and NCCA National Committee on Art Gallery head Tess Rayos del Sol.
Two artists whose works were present at the exhibit, Pia Dacanay and Joy Vocalan Cruz, share their hopes for how such efforts can help women in the art industry. “For me to be able to paint is a blessing already. I did not even expect to be a part of this but I’m grateful for groups like Zonta that they give opportunities for women to be heard (and) to be seen through their works,” says Pia. “Ang hope ko (My hope) is that we encourage more women to still keep on doing what they love doing even if you become a professional or a career woman or even if you become a homemaker, whatever you decide to do with your life, you can still do a lot of things.” Joy, meanwhile, has a hopeful message for those who see the exhibit. “(I hope) that you will be empowered and influenced by all the artworks and do more good as an advocacy to help women (from) all walks of life,” she says.
Zonta.org
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