Women’s Art at The Pride Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Open Gallery Through March 31st

To celebrate Women’s History Month, The Pride Center in Fort Lauderdale is featuring an art exhibit—Women in History: Past & Present.
Although the exhibit may not be overtly political, it does present an empowering collection of photographs, paintings and mixed media.
Of course, some of the work is clearly centered on politics. Angie Sower’s digital photographs, Be Heard and Feminist Action Burn Bra, recall the Second Wave of feminism in the 1960s.

But the woman in Feminist Action Burn Bra stands in the middle of a gray background—a place outside of time and context. Stripped from the waist up, she raises one arm to hold her bra above her head. No girl gone wild, her other arm covers up her chest as she flicks a lighter below the undergarment and stares down her audience—stoic, determined.

Another artist, Claudia Vallejo, presents an abstract mixed media work, Shot Down Expose, as a comment on the life of journalist Marie Colvin, who was recently killed in Syria. The work also recollects Colvin’s harrowing experience of losing her eye in 2001 during the conflict in Sri Lanka.
Set against a purple backdrop, surrounded by a chaotic cascade of blues, reds and yellows, the thick black circle of the eye in Vallejo’s work is relentless and unwavering—a constant witness.
Shot Down Expose takes on even more significance when considering not only Marie Colvin’s life, but the lives of Syrian men, women and children who are currently suffering and being killed under Syria’s regime. Whether or not this was the intention of Vallejo’s work, art can often bring political awareness.

The Women in History exhibit also includes portraits and collages as homage to artists such as Frida Kahlo and Judy Chicago. Musical icons also abound in this collection—Cyndi Lauper is a decadent close-up portrait of rainbow pop art, Celia Cruz wears a resplendent green dress as she throws her arms open to the streets of Cuba, Billie Holiday sings the blues with an excerpt from an old newspaper article pasted above her—an interview with Holiday about her life after rehab.
There are also notable tributes to the women who surround us in our everyday lives such as Us Women by Virginia “Marvel” Cuellar. The painting is set on two separate canvases, saturated in purple with a poem written out in white graffiti-style lettering: Us Women/ Are Strong/ Love/ We Survive/ We Thrive/ Mothers/ Sisters/ Intelligent/ Beautiful/ Daughters/ Lovers/ Us Women/ Powerful/ Are Confident.

Each canvas presents a section of the poem as well as a portrait of a young woman leaning against the inside frame of the picture. Although each woman has her back towards the other, the two-canvas format gives the impression that these words are a collaborative project. The canvases, the words, the women can stand on their own, but they also lean on each other for support.

Another tribute is Michele Brecher’s Legacy, a close-up photograph of an older African-American woman wearing pearls and a Sunday-best hat. Although diversity of culture, ethnicity, and sexual preference are well-represented throughout the Women in History exhibit, the image of younger women is a prevalent depiction. Brecher’s Legacy is a reminder to also study the perspective of age.
Most of the artwork from Women in History is up for sale, and any inquiries should be directed to The Pride Center.
These are difficult days for women’s rights and feminism. The Women in History exhibit shows us that we can take on these days. We have done it before. We can do it again.
Women in History: Past and Present
Open Gallery until March 31st
The Pride Center
2020 North Dixie Highway
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Pridecenterflorida.org
954-463-9005
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