Can you name five women artists? This is a question posed by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in the wake of Women’s History Month in March. Their social media campaign, #5WomenArtists, spreads awareness about the disparity in male versus female artists prominent throughout history and today. Throughout the month, they will post information about women artists and hosting events to make steps to mend the gap.
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery represents and features a number of strong female artists, and believes that they are a vital part of Boston culture. Here are #5WomenArtists we think are making an impact in the Boston art scene to get your list started.
1. Greer Muldowney
Photographer, curator, and professor at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts, Greer Muldowney is not only producing her own work, but also educating young artists who will determine the future of Boston art. Her work not only captures beautiful urban landscapes, but also turns a lens on the social and political climate of the cities she photographs. She is also a coordinator for the Flash Forward Festival (running May 1 – 8, 2016), which organizes a week of free photography in Boston. To learn more about Muldowney and her work, check out Cate McQuaid’s Boston Globe profile, Building Momentum!
Series: 6,426 per km2, 2010-2011
As If It Were Already Here, 2015
Boston Greenway
2. Janet Echelman
Janet Echelman is the artist behind “As If It Were Already Here”, a magnificent netted sculpture installed between downtown Boston and the waterfront in spring and summer of 2015. Having lived and worked in Boston for many years, Echelman brought with her the experiences she gained traveling through Asia, which led to her experimentation with unique materials for sculpture. Creating fluid, dynamic pieces out of lightweight materials that respond to environmental elements of light, air, and weather, Echelman transforms the experience of sculpture and public art. Her installations have been featured in public spaces in four continents, and she’s given numerous lectures and TedTalk, Taking Imagination Seriously.
3. Elisa Adams
After decades of being a successful chiropractor, Elisa Adams rekindled her passion for art at the DeCordova Museum School working with stone. Her sculptures remarkably transform solid stone materials into rich, organic shapes with smooth curves and hidden openings. Adams is involved in the local art scene, showing at numerous galleries and jurying exhibitions throughout Massachusetts. Abigail Ogilvy Gallery is looking forward to exhibiting her work this April.
4. The Safarani Sisters
The Safarani Sisters is a pair of Iranian twins who have had a long artistic career, beginning from a young age. After studying a variety of disciplines at the University of Tehran, the Sisters are spending time in Boston attending Northeastern University and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Combining classical painting and video, they create atmospheric, meditative pieces that are subtle but compelling. Their performance work has been featured locally and internationally, and takes the viewer on a unique internal journey.
Cocoon Performance, 2015
Image courtesy of safaranisisters.com
5. Julia Powell
Julia Powell is a successful lawyer turned quintessential New England painter, drawing from the lush natural atmosphere present throughout the region. Her work moves impressionist tradition into the contemporary with a vibrant palette and sharp brush strokes. A portion of all of Powell’s sales benefits the Agora Partnerships’ Accelerate Women Now, an initiative to support Latin American women innovators and entrepreneurs—not only is she an amazing woman herself, but she also empowers a new generation of women in charge.
Winter Birch Series 1, 2016
Oil on canvas
20 x 24 in
Wednesday, February 10, 2016: Puloma Ghosh
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