A letter from Norah Yahya & Jamil Smith
November 10, 2014
Good Morning Good People,
As we continue to witness violence against women, gender-based income disparities and projection of unrealistic female beauty standards, we question the progress we have made as it relates to women’s rights. Even as the evolution of women’s rights has expanded vastly, conversations about what women should do and wear to avoid being raped versus focusing on the culture of male aggression persists.
What would a world in which women enjoy rights equal to those of men look, feel and sound like for both men and women?
The curatorial program, Woman's Rights As Human Rights, seeks to explore the current state of women’s rights and deconstruct the gender ideals society has created. It also aims to assess where we are as a society and how much further we have to go. We are interested in dissecting the many aspects of this conversation and discover how artists respond to this very real issue.
We look forward to working closely together to bring this conversation to Brooklyn through all available mediums of art. Please see the full description and submission guidelines attached and below.
Norah Yahya & Jamil Smith
Co-Curators, WOMEN'S RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS
Women’s Rights = Human Rights?
The goal of this curatorial project is to explore the question: “In 2015, are women’s rights truly equal to human rights?” In order for women’s rights to be seen as human rights, we must first assess the current state of women’s rights. Three major themes are being explored:
A. Gender Roles
Why are certain gender roles considered feminine or masculine within our society? What expectations are assumed? Has the feminist movement impacted gender norms? How does religion impact the perception of women’s roles in society? For example, the revocation of women's rights to healthcare, whether it is birth control or the access to abortion clinics, is framed under the Christian value and moral system. Some women support these movements against their self-interest because of religious beliefs and moral understanding.
How do the existing double standards that marginally benefit women further hinder the Women's Rights movement? Examples include but not limited to: income standards for women and men; models of chivalry; domestic violence vs. self-defense. 1 in 3 women experience physical violence by an intimate partner; 1 in 10 men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking in their lifetime. How do these incidents speak to the culture of American society through its sexual suppression and obsession with violence? What roles do competitive sports, marketing, advertising and Hollywood character depiction play into this reality of acceptable violence and aggression?
B. Conscious vs. Sub-Conscious Treatment of Women
Men seem to have more control over the reproductive rights of women and this seemingly goes unquestioned. What are the origins of this feeling of control? How does the subconscious and conscious treatment of women, impact the daily lives of women (ie. street harassment)? Are we aware of how our religious narratives have and continue to shape our beliefs as the backbone of modern society (ie. the story of Adam and Eve)?
C. Challenges to Women’s Rights Movements
How have women’s rights movements been hindered by the exclusivity of other movements? Throughout all of the movements in U.S. history, there have been opportunities to include Women's Rights in their movements. However, women's rights were consistently placed on the back burner for greater political agendas (e.g. the Civil Right’s Movement, Black Panther Party Movement, U.S. Emancipation, other international movements). How did racism impact the movement, itself, given examples of Caucasian exclusivity? Leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, who fought for women’s rights, initially inclusive of African woman, caved to political pressures and subsequently distinguished between the rights of Caucasian and African women shaping the experience of African American Women's Rights in the US.
From these overarching themes, we seek your artistic interpretation, experience, awareness and assessment of questioning whether women’s rights are actually seen as human rights, globally.
A. Gender Roles
Why are certain gender roles considered feminine or masculine within our society? What expectations are assumed? Has the feminist movement impacted gender norms? How does religion impact the perception of women’s roles in society? For example, the revocation of women's rights to healthcare, whether it is birth control or the access to abortion clinics, is framed under the Christian value and moral system. Some women support these movements against their self-interest because of religious beliefs and moral understanding.
How do the existing double standards that marginally benefit women further hinder the Women's Rights movement? Examples include but not limited to: income standards for women and men; models of chivalry; domestic violence vs. self-defense. 1 in 3 women experience physical violence by an intimate partner; 1 in 10 men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking in their lifetime. How do these incidents speak to the culture of American society through its sexual suppression and obsession with violence? What roles do competitive sports, marketing, advertising and Hollywood character depiction play into this reality of acceptable violence and aggression?
B. Conscious vs. Sub-Conscious Treatment of Women
Men seem to have more control over the reproductive rights of women and this seemingly goes unquestioned. What are the origins of this feeling of control? How does the subconscious and conscious treatment of women, impact the daily lives of women (ie. street harassment)? Are we aware of how our religious narratives have and continue to shape our beliefs as the backbone of modern society (ie. the story of Adam and Eve)?
C. Challenges to Women’s Rights Movements
How have women’s rights movements been hindered by the exclusivity of other movements? Throughout all of the movements in U.S. history, there have been opportunities to include Women's Rights in their movements. However, women's rights were consistently placed on the back burner for greater political agendas (e.g. the Civil Right’s Movement, Black Panther Party Movement, U.S. Emancipation, other international movements). How did racism impact the movement, itself, given examples of Caucasian exclusivity? Leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, who fought for women’s rights, initially inclusive of African woman, caved to political pressures and subsequently distinguished between the rights of Caucasian and African women shaping the experience of African American Women's Rights in the US.
From these overarching themes, we seek your artistic interpretation, experience, awareness and assessment of questioning whether women’s rights are actually seen as human rights, globally.
Submission Guidelines
· Artists, both performing and visual, are encouraged to submit work in any and all media
· We strongly prefer to accept applications electronically. Please fill out the form linked to below. Should you need to make arrangements otherwise and or send additional materials, please contact us at humanrights4women@gmail.com
· Complete applications will be acknowledged by an email; incomplete packages will not be reviewed
· The deadline for submission is January 15, 2015
· If you are selected, you will be notified by email by January 28, 2015
Submission Requirements
· Artist Submission Form: _Electronic Form
· Resume or CV: Including biography, educational background, and exhibition record (no more than three pages)
· Artist Statement: Brief and concise, ideas about work and approach to process for this particular project. Statement should be labeled: lastname.firstname.statement
· Images: 5 to 10 images of your work and or clips, links, videos, reels, films, and any sample pieces that would highlight your work. All images must be jpegs in a zipped file of no more than 10MB. All images should be clearly labeled: lastname.firstname.imagenumber.jpeg. Zip file should be named: lastname.firstname.images.zip
· Image Inventory List: List of images by number that includes artist name, name of work, medium, dimensions, and date. Inventory list should be labeled: lastname.firstname.inventorylist.pdf
Please email Resume/CV, Statement, Images, Clips, etc to humanrights4women@gmail.com
Exhibit Dates: April 27 - May 3, 2015
