In honor of International Women’s Day, our staff is highlighting a few (we couldn’t stop at just five) women whose artworks inspire them! These artists use their creativity as a means of expression and advocacy as they encourage us to not only reflect on the world around us but to also consider our place in it. Join us in celebrating women around the globe and throughout time.
Cher
Musician
I think there are very few women, other than in my family, I have followed for over 53 years. As a youngster, I read how shy she was, like me, and she was imperfect, like me. Thin, big nose, and crooked teeth. It was not popular to like Cher when I was young; it was very much like being gay in the closet, but her perseverance and accomplishments over the coming decades were always an inspiration to me to keep going with life in general and my acting career.
“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”
Submitted by Thomas Callahan, Teaching Artist, Theater
Misty Copeland
Dancer
In 2015, Misty Copeland was famously named the first African-American principal dancer in the history of the American Ballet Theatre. That same year, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and has published a children’s book called Firebird, meant to empower young people of color. She is currently working with public school students and teachers in Brooklyn, NY, through Turnaround Arts, a national arts integration program. Misty continues to be a prime example of how representation matters and is still very much needed in the arts.
“Knowing that it has never been done before makes me want to fight even harder.”
Submitted by Rebecca Cardenas, Program Coordinator
Maya Lin
Architect & Artist
There are so many amazing female artists that have inspired me, none more than Maya Lin. Her story of submitting for and then winning the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial competition while still a student is impressive and encouraging (Just apply! Share your ideas! Who knows what will happen!), but I especially like her work with cut maps and consideration of the environment.
“I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That’s art to me.”
Submitted by Rebecca Potts, Teaching Artist, Visual Arts
Lea Salonga
Actor
I’ve been inspired by Lea Salonga since I was a teenager first exploring the world of theater. At the time, she was playing Kim in “Miss Saigon” and was the only “big name” Asian female on Broadway, or anywhere really. Seeing her perform and hearing her sing made me feel that it was possible for me to work in theater as well. When I first heard about her, I was thrilled to hear that she was Filipino, just like me. Before then, there were literally no Filipino women (or men for that matter) working regularly as actors in America. It was rare even for an Asian actor to be getting work.
After “Miss Saigon” she went on to become the voice for the Disney characters Jasmine and Mulan. She was the first Asian woman ever to win a Tony award and the first Asian woman ever to play Eponine and Fantine in “Les Miserables.” Before Lea Salonga, I assumed that I would always end up playing minor characters, but she showed me that I had every right to aim higher. Representation matters.
“I think I will always be performing; I don’t think I can take that away. Because I really just enjoy it. I like getting up to sing; I like the challenge of learning new material and singing it in front of an audience.”
Submitted by Elda Pineda, Deputy Director
Florine Stettheimer
Painter
Florine Stettheimer is known as a modernist painter; poet; feminist; theatrical costume, stage, and furniture designer; and salonnière active from the 1920s through the 1940s. Talk about a Renaissance woman! Stettheimer’s paintings depict her world in miniaturized, colorful, theatrical form. She wasn’t afraid to inject humor into her depictions of recognizable figures and settings, creating critiques of well-known institutions and social practices. Referred to as “rococo subversive,” her work balances social awareness and camp, feminism and femininity, and superficiality and depth. I think everyone could benefit from looking at the world the way Stettheimer did: we can maintain a critical edge without losing our sense of humor and playfulness.
Submitted by Madeline Miller, Senior Development Manager, Institutional Giving
Paula Scher
Designer
In a field not often overtly noticed, women designers and their work have an even harder time breaking through to the public eye. This is why I admire Paula Scher’s work so much. Her work has ingrained itself in popular culture so that it is ubiquitous with the brands she works with. Her work is iconic (in the original sense of the word) and ultimately exists to serve the brands and stories she is telling. Her brand systems not only create a visual identity for them but also tell a story that compels the viewer to remember it. They are complex and extremely detailed; everything from the logo, to the dots on the “i”s, are considered. Her work has fueled some of the most prolific brands and inspired an entire generation of creatives and popular culture.
“My work is play. And I play when I design. I even looked it up in the dictionary, to make sure that I actually do that, and the definition of “play,” number one, was “engaging in a childlike activity or endeavor,” and number two was “gambling.” And I realize I do both when I’m designing.”
Submitted by Angela Pu, Design & Media Intern
View our previous posts about International Women’s Day here:
#5WomenArtists for 2016
#5WomenArtists for 2017
#5WomenArtists for 2018
Photo credits
Misty Copeland via Queensland Performing Arts Centre Brisbane
Maya Lin via Crystal Bridges Connection Museum of American Art
Lea Salonga in “Allegiance” via Matthew Murphy
Paula Scher’s “Area Codes and Time Zones,” 2015 via Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
