In the Company of Women

I stopped in to see a new exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum called "In the Company of Women".  It features artworks that are currently in the museum's collection but that are all created by women.  The museum staged to show because of recent events including the #MeToo movement and the growing awareness of gender inequality.  Almost all of the pieces in the show were familiar to me.  I've seen them many times before but, I have to admit that in this context they had a greater appeal to me.  I've posted a photo of the unattired fellow above before but, it's been a long time ago.  He's called, strangely enough, "Nude Man" and he was created in ceramics by Viola Frey.

I've gazed upon this piece by Lilianna Porter many times but, for some reason I totally missed the little guy standing on top of the painting.  The piece is called "The Traveler" and since this little guy is obviously the namesake, I was surprised that I had not noticed him before.

This piece is a tapestry/quilt by Faith Ringgold.  It's called "The Bitter Nest #1, Love in the Schoolyard".

This last piece has a profound message.  The artist Angela Ellsworth was raised in the Mormon Church and her great-great-grandfather was the fifth prophet of the church and he had nine wives.  Ellsworth has created nine bonnets, each one with it's own individual design representing each of the wives.  Each one is created with pearl-tipped corsage pins pierced through the bonnet with the sharp ends on the inside.  It's called "Seer Bonnets: A Continuing Offense".

There was a lot to think about in this exhibit and a new way to look at some art that I had seen and enjoyed before.