[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hen She Rises, a 10-week women-centered arts exhibit highlighting social issues such as ecology justice, immigrant rights, and women’s equality, will be on view at SPARC in Venice, CA from July 7 until September 15. Programming includes public art workshops, discussions and screenings to inspire knowledge sharing and community building between generations, social movements and artist disciplines. The kick-off event on Saturday, July 7, from 3-8 pm is the “Ladies Love Project” pop-up shop, curated by New York City artist Toofly, providing a space for over 100 womxn artists from Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Canada and all over the world to celebrate, display and sell their art, fashion and music creations.
“Women are empowered to create the future we want to live in,” affirmed Erin Yoshi, curator of When She Rises. “We are eradicating the myth that competition breads progress; we believe in working collaboratively. Our goal is to create lasting intergenerational relationships to share knowledge, like best practices in the field and entrepreneurial hustle. We hope participants walk away forging new partnerships and collaborations and continue to do their work safer, with increased capacity alongside a large network of creative comrades.”
When She Rises is also focused on raising the visibility of womxn artists across sectors and increasing equity in pay and institutional representation. According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 51% of visual artists working today are women yet full-time women artists only earn 81 cents for every $1 made by male artists. Only 5% of artworks on major museum walls in the U.S. are by women artists, and women hold only 30% of art museum director positions and earning 75% for every dollar earned by male directors.
When She Rises officially launched this year on March 8th International Womxn’s Day, at SPARC with a 5 banner series by Nancy Pili and Harmony Lambert (RESIST), Favianna Rodriguez (Occupy Sisterhood), Nisha Sethi (When She Rises), Erin Yoshi (7 Generations), and Gloria Muriel. The SPARC building, formerly the Venice Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, was an active jail from 1929 until the early seventies. SPARC made the jail its headquarters in 1977 and has loved to say they have “liberated” the space for the arts. It is currently run by Judith Baca and Deb J.T. Padilla, two prolific queer Chicana artists in Los Angeles and internationally.
The Ladies Love Project pop-up shop on Saturday, July 7th (3-8pm at SPARC, 685 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA) supports the global and local advancement of women artists entrepreneurs through collaboration and pays homage to market life as a staple of community building. Featured artists represent art and design, fashion, self-care and home, tarot and henna art, live art exhibitions, and music.
“There are not enough arts and culture events curated by women and women of color that help nurture these type of celebrations,” asserted Toofly. “Our communities have less money, less spaces to thrive in the arts but we continue to resist, and persist. Many warrior women help empower others through these creative projects like When She Rises to inspire the individual and the heart of a community to rise up.”
Music curator, Angela “Spiñorita” Ramirez, a Los Angeles-based Xicanx DJ and a radio host on NTS Radio has curated an all-womxn line-up for the art market event and has brought in Serato as a supporting sponsor. “The tide is changing and we are no longer waiting for validation, but instead working together to display who we are as artists without any lasting resistance or hesitation.”
Interested attendees can RSVP at https://whensherises.splashthat.com. Sponsors of When She Rises exhibit include CodePink, Greenpeace, International Association of Art, and Tonali Studio. SPARC is an accessible space and organizers are working to make sure the event is accessible for all abilities.
