Two nonprofit organizations in New Canaan teamed up to organize an art exhibition celebrating women that opened Thursday.
The exhibition “She Is Rising” opened May 27 at Carriage Barn Art Center. Photo by Hannah Tiller
“She Is Rising,” presented by LiveGirl and the Carriage Barn Arts Center, runs through June 5 at the well-known gallery in Waveny Park.
Sheri West, LiveGirl’s founder and CEO, said the exhibition reflects her organization’s work to “build confident, inclusive, leaders.”
“We’re working to close the female leadership gap, and we’re working to create a world where women can rise and take on positions of power and leadership,” West said.
The exhibition “She Is Rising” opened May 27 at Carriage Barn Art Center. Photo by Hannah Tiller
“She Is Rising” features artists such as Ashley Longshore, TL Duryea, and Michele Voight.
The art, ranging from embroidery to paintings, makes “powerful statements,” according to Hilary Wittman, the executive director of the Carriage Barn.
Voight contributed three pieces of contemporary work that she said show how far women have come since the modern feminist movement started.
The exhibition “She Is Rising” opened May 27 at Carriage Barn Art Center. Photo by Hannah Tiller
Of her painting titled “Out of the Closet,” Voight said, “It looks at branding and labels.”
“There’s four women in the picture that are kind of elevating and rising out of this situation, they are breaking out of the closet,” she told NewCanaanite.com.
“It’s just looking at how we elevate beyond and how women use that to their own power,” she said.
The exhibition “She Is Rising” opened May 27 at Carriage Barn Art Center. Photo by Hannah Tiller
Pop artist Tara Blackwell was also included in the exhibition, displaying paintings from her “Saturday Morning” series. Characters from cartoons such as The Simpsons and the Powerpuff Girls were put into “empowering stances” to encourage empowerment and perseverance, she said.
“She is Rising” at the Carriage Barn Arts Center is open and free to the public. This week’s opening was sponsored by JP Morgan Private Bank.
West said, “By coming out and being inspired by the ‘Rising’ exhibit, you can support your female artists, you can support the next generation of female leaders.”
LiveGirl is also holding a Family Fun Friday at the Carriage Barn on June 4 at 5-7 p.m., featuring the ‘She is Rising’ exhibition, live music by Melissa Wasserman, Flaco’s Taco Truck, and carnival games. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at http://golivegirl.org/art-benefit.