Sisu: A Women's Exhibition

My Thoughts

This exhibition holds a special place in my heart because it was the first one I had ever done, and the first I had ever installed with a dear friend. Alex Owens had been a close friend of mine in undergraduate school at Webster University and as we were on the beginning of our senior year together we wanted to do something that would go out with a bang. The university had just purchased a new gallery space in downtown St. Louis and after further approval from faculty we started a call, using rudimentary tools such as word of mouth and flyers all across campus. We wanted to put on an exhibition to celebrate International Women's Day in the month of March, and after we gathered all the entries Alex and I personally discussed the plethora of implications this show could have for us and the artists involved. We wanted high concept, and professional artwork for us and the faculty to be proud to showcase to the public. It was a whirlwind of an install as we only had about 3-4 days to deinstall the previous show, gather roughly 20 female artists from around Missouri, and install their new work. 
The show itself was not limited to mediums or expressions, as we had many 2D work, 3D pieces, and interactive and auditory material for everyone to be absorbed in. This exhibition was all about giving a voice to the artistic women who struggle and still struggle in silence to finally come together in a quiet moment of clarity and unity. 
This exhibition would not have been possible without Alex Owen's brave dare of "Why not?" and for that I'll love her forever.