Greenville Center for Creative Arts shines a spotlight on women in art
For millennia, women have used creativity and skill to clothe their families and outfit their private spaces, but these innovative contributions were not considered art.
In a new exhibit at Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Long Overdue, Michelle Berg Radford and Traci Wright Martin are challenging those attitudes and shining a bright spotlight on the women who have made art throughout history—and the women who are breaking new ground in the field today.
Long Overdue will be open in GCCA’s Main Gallery through March 27.
Benjamin Tarcson, gallery director, says both artists applied separately for shows, and the team quickly recognized a connection in their artistic vision. “They both talked about the hiddenness of contributions of women in the arts, and how important it is to represent those ideas in today’s terms,” he says.
The two teamed up to showcase work that challenges gender norms in complementary ways. The exhibit was timed to coincide with Women’s History Month in March.
Appreciation for Women in Art
“I hope that viewers will have a new appreciation for women artists past and present,” Radford says, “but also for the many ways women have always made this world better and more beautiful—ways that aren’t always appreciated as art: crafting, sewing, cooking, arranging our surroundings. Our lives are richer and more meaningful because of these kinds of making.”
Radford’s work combines women’s handicrafts with landscape painting, allowing her to employ sewing techniques to create sculptural work. Presented in a gallery setting, the exhibit calls the viewer “to acknowledge women’s stitchwork as valuable expressions of the maker” and to consider their own views about the distinction between art and craft, according to the GCCA exhibit description.
Tarcson says viewers can look for symbolism throughout the work of both artists, from Radford’s stitchwork and textile materials to Martin’s visual symbols pointing to underrepresentation.
Martin’s charcoal and mixed-media series Art Herstory and the Moth blends realism with abstraction, often presenting portraits of real people but with intricate symbolism woven throughout via paper collage and other techniques. The moth is a recurring symbol in her work: a creature typically overlooked and eclipsed by the butterfly in popular culture, similar to how male art historically eclipsed female art.
“We have seen a lot of improvement in visibility for women in the arts in recent years,” Martin says. “It’s a time of restoration and relearning in many ways. . . . momentum is everything, and the best way to keep things moving forward is to support all artists equally.”
Long Overdue Exhibit
Long Overdue: Embracing Contributions of Women in the Arts, featuring Traci Wright Martin and Michelle Berg Radford
Greenville Center for Creative Arts Main Gallery
101 Abney St., Greenville, artcentergreenville.org
Through March 27
