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Guest Writer: Lucy Faith Collins, PhD

January 30th, 2013

 “The Beauty Myth” Revisited 

About thirty years after Betty Friedan published her bestselling feminist manifesto, The Feminine Mystique, Naomi Wolf charged fashion magazines, or “beauty pornography” as she called them, with perpetuating “The Beauty Myth.” This myth, according to Wolf, sold women the lie that to be valuable to society was to be beautiful, and that unattainable standards of beauty are precisely what we see – dewy lipped and eyes half closed – on the pages of a magazine. For Wolf, this myth has lead to a variety of societal ills from hunger (anorexia and bulimia) to sustained violence against women on all fronts. EXPAND POST

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Welcome!

January 21st, 2013

 

Thank you for visiting SftPwr!

We hope you will engage with our content by commenting on articles you find interesting, RT’ing the issues on Twitter, and sharing information on Facebook! Through all of these paths, we hope to increase the visibility of women’s work in the arts, keep each other apprised of social issues, and educated about our female forerunners.

Take a look around!

We are collecting interviews with women working in the Arts, and sharing some of our own stories as well. Engage with us on Twitter – particularly on #WW – Women Wednesdays, where we appreciate women in our network, and share the names of those that inspire us.

www.sftpwr.com is a cultural digest – amplifying women’s work in the arts + magnifying cultural issues.

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Elizabeth “Dancing” Reed

January 20th, 2013

I’ve been acquainted with Elizabeth Reed for a few years, but the nature of our busy minds and lives has kept us from spending significant or sustained time together. After a few recent emails about a community project, she eventually sent me a link to her own catch-all online art portfolio. I had known her more as a social activist, writer, philosopher, counselor, and someone interested in spirituality; but when I clicked on her “Moving” project page, dedicated to what she calls “Public Dancing,” I knew that I had to hear more about this specific creative practice, (among her many other artistic pursuits that I was previously unaware of). We set the date to meet.

Says Reed of the practice, “Dance in public space is my rebellious affirmation of living.  It is a physical socratic method asking: ‘How else, and how better, can we go about this living (together) bit?’  Could we pause to feel throughout our bodies? What great good magic is here!?” EXPAND POST

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Young Curatorial Assistant: Alli Peller

November 25th, 2012

Her name may not appear on the press release, but Allison Peller has been critical to the organization of the New.New York exhibit (curated by Artist / Photographer / Curator / Educator, John Silvis) at the Essel Museum in Vienna. With the exhibit (open NOW, since November 23rd) quickly approaching, I wanted to get a few words from Allison on the experience of assisting with this exhibition, and her path as a worker in the cultural field. EXPAND POST

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Young Project Profile: UNTITLEDdiologue

October 14th, 2012

UNTITLED:diologue is a one-year project organized by Jessie Yang and He Yu.

This duo met at New York Univeristy’s Steinhardt Graduate school for Visual Arts Management. Both originally from China, (Shanghai and Sichuan, respectively,) they had the idea to create a monthly forum for further dialogue that centered around Contemporary Asian Art being created locally, in New York. They have garnered a list of over 250 in their network, and growing. Their events have had between 70-80 people show up, which has increased from about 20 at the first event.

“We hope to create a space where artists and the public could meet and interact in an informal setting, with more possibilites for dialogue.”

EXPAND POST

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Young Artist Profile: Sarah Cram

October 6th, 2012

I met Sarah Cram at a conference for female leaders in the visual arts. Acting as the intern she kept a low profile as she scurried around setting up the event space. After shooting the breeze with another Art Admin regarding our different, but parallell visions and work, she suggested I sit Sarah down for a chat. Further explaining that Ms. Cram was making work specifically addressing feminist issues, I took the bait. As it turned out, there were plenty of layers to be unveiled in this young artist, as I have happily discovered with just about all of the recommendations I have received lately.

EXPAND POST

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Artist Interview w/ Amanda Hamilton

October 2nd, 2012

 detail from Sun Valley, by Amanda Hamilton

Recently I’ve been hearing some talk about the fall-out rate of female artists after giving birth. While I do not doubt that it happens, my own observation has been of a different demographic. Let us consider a more substantial statistic of women falling off the studio-practice bandwagon in the immediate exodus of those who, upon receiving their degree, do not find the wherewithal to stick to their craft. EXPAND POST

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Young Art Admin: Daonne Huff, Podcast on Mentorship

September 24th, 2012

Happy Monday! And a happy back-to-school to many of you.
Speaking of academics – I’d like you to meet my fellow student, Ms. Daonne Huff…

[Originally published on www.bonniekate.com]
[powerpress]

A graduate of Vassar College and now a Masters Candidate at NYU for Visual Art Administration, Ms. Huff is in the process of redefining (for herself) the boundaries of contemporary art – more inclusive of new media, social practice, and alternative space exhibitions. Isolde Brielmaier played a key role in forming Ms. Huff’s path – by illustrating the contemporary application of an art historical education, and embodying all that a dynamic curator and administrator could be. This relationship grew from what began as student-teacher dynamic into the chance for Daonne to assist on many projects including the Elizabeth Catlett exhibition at the Bronx Museum of Art. EXPAND POST

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Young Admin Profiles: Meaghan Ritchey

September 11th, 2012

Meaghan at her home in the Bronx, NY

This spotlight begins with a little back story.

Last year I spent some time studying the programming of an organization called the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) through a Development course at NYU. We used their work as a case study for capital improvement, grant-writing, and integrated educational programming within the arts. Along the way I also became familiar with a bit of New York that is often overlooked. EXPAND POST

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