Look Again: Portraits of Daring Women

Description

Through compelling woodcut prints and poetry, Look Again: Portraits of Daring Women highlights the power and creativity of remarkable women from across the globe.

Left to Right: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; pioneering investigative journalist Ida B. Wells; and Mabel Stark, a fearless tiger trainer; all by Julie Lapping Rivera

In response to a growing climate of discrimination against women and other marginalized people in the United States, artist Julie Lapping Rivera began a series of portraits , most of whom were unsung in their time. This ongoing portfolio of woodcut and collage portraits offers an uplifting, positive, and inclusive message to visitors. It was originally inspired by The New York Times “Overlooked” series, which since March of 2018 has been sharing the stories of remarkable people who were overlooked by the Times’ obituaries in the past.

By representing brave and inspiring women from around the globe and across centuries, many of whose accomplishments have not been adequately acknowledged, Look Again honors their achievements and focuses the viewer on the power and creativity their lives exemplify.

To further illuminate their lives and legacies, each portrait is accompanied by an original poem, created in response to both the women’s stories and to the portraits. Additional labels include a biography of each woman featured in the exhibition. All text is in Spanish and English, and QR codes allow visitors to hear a reading of each poem by its author.

Artist Julie Lapping Rivera is a Massachusetts based printmaker currently teaching woodcut at Smith College and at Zea Mays Printmaking. She began her career as a teaching artist in NYC with the Studio In a School Association, Museum of Modern Art, and Lincoln Center Institute. She is a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship recipient in Drawing, and has received grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  In 2022, Julie was awarded a guest artist residency fellowship to Scoula Internazionale di Grafica, Venice, Italy, representing the Boston Printmakers. 

Look Again: Portraits of Daring Women is a touring exhibition developed in partnership with Julie Lapping Rivera and draws upon the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts exhibition.