13 Artists Discuss Their Art From Last Year's Women's March
Oppression is felt in many ways, andit can feel inescapable. If history has taught us anything, it’s that in times of political turmoil the arts will inevitably flourish; bystanders turn into leaders and artists turn into activists. And Amplifier is here to help give those artists a platform. This inspiring organization is teaming up with the Women’s March for the second time to elevate the voices and visions of creatives across the country.
Last year Amplifier gathered inspiring works from over 50 intersectional artists to create posters and campaigns for the Women’s March on Washington, and this month they have launched Power To The Polls, an open-call for all female-identified and gender nonconforming US artists (no documentation needed). The winners will receive $200, and will be picked by the top activists in the country, including Women’s March organizers, Carmen Perez Sarah Sophie Flicker, and the notorious Little Miss Flint.
We’ve rounded up 13 body positive, identity affirming artists and their works from last year’s powerful campaign, to inspire you to pick up a brush, or bust out your photoshop skills. The submission deadline is February 28th, and the voices of the youth are massively important, so let yours be heard!
Courtesy of Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh1/13Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh
“The goal in a lot of my artwork is to underscore the intersection of different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences, and quite frankly I don't really see enough people from the disabled community represented in popular culture, unless it's something that is specifically geared towards a ‘disability issue.’ The same goes for folks who are transgender, or are non gender conforming. I wanted to create both an image that highlights that we are one nation made up many awesome people, and something that someone can point to and say ‘That looks like me, my friend, my partner. I feel strong, I feel seen.’ Representation matters.”
Courtesy of Shyama Kuver2/13Shyama Kuver
“I want my piece is to inspire others to feel empowered in themselves and their communities, to be outspoken, to hold their heads high, to be ungovernable, and to resist when ruling bodies are oppressive and cruel. I purposefully chose to make the genders of these womxn ambiguous because I don't believe that there are any physical attributes that can make someone feminine or masculine — that's something we decide for ourselves."
Courtesy of Molly Crabapple3/13Molly Crabapple
“I have many friends and colleagues who are Muslim, and I wanted to do a poster series against Islamophobia that reflects their style, coolness and toughness. Right now, America is locked in a battle with a fascist administration, and everyone, whether they are seventeen or seventy, needs to be in fighting that as best they can. Art, music, books, culture in general can inspire people to acts of courage, empathy, generosity, and solidarity.”
Courtesy of Jessica Sabogal4/13Jessica Sabogal
“The little girl is an extension of a mural I did which has five mixed raced Bay Area children with a quote that says 'we are the ones we've been waiting for' in huge letters on a main intersection in downtown Oakland. Maya is half African - American half Polish. At four years old Maya understands that she possess the tools needed for greatness. She has not yet been consumed by the harsh oppressions she will come to know too well. Maya is not striving to be something she's not. Maya is not other. Maya is perfect. Maya is the future."
Courtesy of Katie Rita5/13Katie Rita
“This piece features a portrait of my sister and her girlfriend. I made the image to celebrate a healthy gay relationship and express my love and appreciation for my sister. It's my belief that queer love has immense power, for it is a type of love that must shape itself and persist in the face of social narratives that wish to erase it.”
Courtesy of Madeline Conover6/13Madeline Conover
“Art surrounds us, art is everywhere. Art provides a visual language for communicating with others. Art is genuine and the most authentic work that comes from within. Everyone can be an artist, anything can be art. Art is influenced by the past, present, and future. Art is inherently political. Art can help change the future; art is the future.”
Courtesy of Katy Galvin7/13Katy Galvin
“As a teen, I think now is a particularly unique time. You have access to social media which means you have access to social change or influence. Use your voice, and embrace growth. Your opinions and viewpoints will morph and evolve, but if you feel passionately against injustice then go out and learn from the world as much as you can. Don't hold yourself to any impossible standard. Learn as much as you can, and create as much as you can. You are both the future and the present.”
Courtesy of Devon Bragg8/13Devon Bragg
“I am a cisgender white woman who does her best to recognize the privileges she definitely does have. I have not experienced much of the struggles that many trans, LGBTQ and women of color have fought through. I have however, experienced the honestly burdening sensation of objectification and inequality throughout my entire life. I have been sexually assaulted like too many of the women of today unfortunately, and every single phrase in the Let Me Speak poster I created for Amplifier, was something said to me — by both men and women.”
Courtesy of Camila Rosa9/13Camila Rosa
“Art is one of the most democratic and accessible ways to impact people. Through art, we can educate people and change lives. It's important to keep art revolutionary, using it to help communities to survive and as a way to write our own history. It's a way to resist and to present our thoughts to the world. Educate Yourself was inspired by the way I believe activism should be. I think study and knowledge are essential to any political action, and feminism is a political movement not just a personal identity. The country girl with the knife was inspired by the Landless Workers Movement — a social movement from Brazil, and the girl with the book was inspired by intellectual black feminists like Angela Davis and bell hooks.”
Courtesy of Megan Knott10/13Megan Knott
“I was inspired to create this piece by the anger and outrage I feel over inequality. Instead of doing something destructive with those feelings — I channeled them into this design. I strongly identify with Amplifier’s mission that art can be used as a instrument for social change. It's important for young women (and female-identifying youth) to use their voices & artistic skills to create the future they want.”
Courtesy of Brooke Fischer11/13Brooke Fischer
“Participating in the creation of the public call for art for the Women’s March on Washington was a way to say thank you to all of the women who have fought for our right to vote. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. They fought so that we are no longer second class citizens and because women’s rights are human rights. This piece was about celebrating the beauty of those women.”
Courtesy of Ashley Lukashevsky12/13Ashley Lukashevsky
“Feminism has become commercialized and capitalized and often fails to move past ‘pussy power’ and into advocating for immigrant rights, trans rights, and against police brutality and mass incarceration, for example (which are all issues that clearly effect women). And young people are the ones who can dream of a world that is radically different from what we have always known-- untarnished by the status quo. You can make social activism trend through art and storytelling, draw attention to social issues in your everyday conversations at school and social media, call your representatives. You have the power.”
Courtesy of Kate Deciccio13/13Kate Deciccio
“I think I love art and young people for the same reason. Both ask us to invent ways to become better in ways we've never seen before. People ask me how I got good at art and I always tell them, ‘I'm just stubborn.’ As an artist you're always dreaming up things\ that don't exist and then you problem solve until something works. It's always a process of things breaking, mistakes, and unplanned challenges followed by a stubbornness that of course you can find a solution. Young people and artists know how to prove that what’s in our imaginations can become reality, and we're brave enough to face the barriers in between. Strong art inspires people who don't identify as artists to see that they too could partake in actualizing social change.”
