A Little Inspirational Quote from One of my Favorite Feminists:

“I won’t stop talking. I am a girl you have no control over. There is not a gag big enough to handle this mouth.” 

-Kathleen Hannah

posted by: Anna Garski

"Vagina Power" with Alexyss K. Tylor: Woman sEXPERT

"'Vagina Power' is an Atlanta based public-access television show hosted by Alexyss K. Tylor. Aimed primarily for a female African-American audience, the show mainly consists of Tylor speaking frankly and openly about various love and relationship issues in the African-American community. Tylor is known for her very outspoken and in-your-face way of speaking, colorful vocabulary, and off-the-wall analogies."

- via wikipedia.com

"Penis Power" by Alexyss K. Tylor

I love this video so much I ripped the audio from it and put it on mix cds for my friends.

Here are some other good episodes:

"Vagina Power: Halloween Edition" by Alexyss K. Tylor

I just need to add that the woman sitting next to her who occassionally asks questions is her mother (!!!) also, womanhouse doesn't necessarily agree with or promote everything Tylor says, just to be clear. Is it great to have a show on public access on women's sexual health, though? Yes!

Posted by: Molly Davy

Georgia O'Keefe vs. Eleanor Roosevelt

to Eleanor Roosevelt

Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt
29 Wash. Sq. W.
N.Y.

Having noticed in the N.Y. Times of Feb. 1st that you are against the Equal Rights Amendment may I say to you that it is the women who have studied the idea of Equal Rights and worked for Equal Rights that make it possible for you, today, to be the power that you are in our country, to work as you work and to have the kind of public life that you have.
 The Equal Rights Amendment would write into the highest law of our country, legal equality for all. At present women do not have it and I believe we are considered — half the people.

Equal Rights and Responsibilities is a basic idea that would have very important psychological effects on women and men from the time they are born. It could very much change the girl's idea of her place in the world. I would like each child to feel responsible for the country and that no door for any activity they may choose is closed on account of sex.

It seems to me very important to the idea of true democracy — to my country — and to the world eventually — that all men and women stand equal under the sky —

I wish that you could be with us in this fight — You could be a real help to this change that must come.

Sincerely,
 

Georgia O'Keeffe

Posted by: Molly Davy

Olek

Olek is a polish-born artist specializing in fiber art and frequent contributor to the yarn bombing movement. Olek has most recently and most widely recognized for her crocheted installation of an entire Brooklyn apartment, including its occupants aptly named: Knitting is for pus****

Alongside her contemporaries such as Judy Chicago, her work is ironic in its ability to reclaim the crocheted as a fiber art - a medium associated primarily with women. Olek adds power to the medium through basing her artistic intent less on the utilitarianism of the medium as clothing and more on the power the artwork can possess in its intrinsic qualities of texture, color, space, and shape. In short, her work with fiber arts is less decorative and more eager to gain power through space in a composition. As with the occasional poorly knit sweater from your grandmother, there is also a sense of abjection in the gaudiness, though a sophistication in the artistic intent.

Crocheted Piano

Crocheted Mustang 2010

Crocheted Drum Set

Knitting is for pus****

Q: What was the evolution of your becoming an artist?
A: …How did I get here? Work. Putting everything on one card. I took a risk. I left Poland in 2000 with a back pack, which I still have and use. I didn’t come here to make art. I came here to live. My work changes from place to place. In Poland, I studied the science of culture. With a miner’s work ethic, I long to delve deeper and deeper into my investigations. My desire for new, took me away from industrial, close-minded Silesia, Poland. I have always sought to bring color and life, energy, and surprise to the living space. My goal is to produce new work and share it with the public. I intend to take advantage of living in NYC with various neighborhoods and, with my actions, create a feedback to the economic and social reality in our community.



- From, nonnativenewyork

Posted by: Molly Davy

The Queen of Rockabilly

Tomorrow, at the Minnesota Zoo, one of my all-time favorite musicians is performing. This musician is significantly more than just a singer and guitar player to me, though. She revolutionized rock and roll and paved the way of rockabilly for many to follow. She gave a whole new meaning to Rock and Roll, steering away from the male-dominated music scene, and proving that she, and many other women, were just as capable, if not more so, to be talented, soulful, and downright gritty. Her name is Wanda Jackson, and, at 73 Years old, she is still ripping the stage apart with her feisty attitude and even feistier musical talent.

To say that Wanda Jackson is a favorite of mine, though, would be to make a severe understatement. As a feminist, musician and lover of all things rockabilly, Wanda and I were/are the perfect match. I had the opportunity to see her this past winter in Chicago, and it was an experience I shall never forget. I hardly ever have the opportunity to see my 'idols' perform (Jane Goodall has been the only other one) So when Molly asked me if I wanted to travel down to Chicago with her to see Wanda, there was no proper answer except for: Yes. Even though the concert lasted a mere hour and a half, I felt as though I was apart of history. I realize that to some, to idolize and to be this taken by a performance, is nonsense, but to me, this was something that does not happen often. Her music is as rich as it was when she was just a teenager, and maybe even more so now that she has had, and played with, the experiences that age doles out.  She stole the show and the hearts of everyone in attendance, mine a second time.

Wanda's wildcat-esque voice rings through my head, my room, and mine and Molly's radioshow, just as it should be. She showed the boys of rock'n'roll how to do it right, and how to be better than right. She was galvanizing and exciting fans way back when, and has not ceased doing just that 50 or so years later.

She is as legendary as any male performer, immensely more legendary than them to me, and gained that legendary fame during a time where, if you were not apart of the boys club, were not following the mainstream, popular societal view of proper music, then the road to what you wanted was tough and nearly impossible. Wanda proved everybody wrong, and anybody who dared doubt her would, and should, step back and take a second look, and listen, and bask in the glory that was and is conjured up from those strong vocal chords...

 

So, if any of you are in the Apple Valley, MN, area tomorrow night around 630, or, if you ever want to take a listen and enjoy some quality music, check out Wanda Jackson, the QUEEN of Rockabilly!

Posted by: Annah Ruhland

Nancy Robinson: MN Artist Featured in Upcoming Show at Intermedia Arts

I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy Robinson when I was a student at The Women's Art Institute (WAI) in 2010 and recently reconnected with her as one of the TAs of WAI this June. Robinson is a charismatic and comical person whose intriguing personality is reflected in her surreal oil paintings. One of her paintings will be included in Intermedia Arts' El Milagro (The Miracle") show which celebrates El Grupo Soap del Corazon's 11 year anniversary. Information on the opening reception below:

OPENING EVENT: August 20, 2011, 7-10 p.m.

The show runs August 3-September 11, 2011

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday noon-5 p.m.

Closed September 5 (Labor Day)

Location: Intermedia Arts

2822 Lyndale Avenue South

Minneapolis, Mn 55408

612-871-4444

Katherine Curtis, a student of this year's session of WAI, recently filmed Robinson describing the story behind the painting that will be featured in the show titled "Sustainable Farming." Watch it below:

Posted by: Anna Garski