The Bangladeshi-American artist Alma Leya has only been in the United States for twelve years, but as she says: “The struggle for an immigrant woman has really [sic] made me really, really, strong.” That strength is representative of the work of all the artists featured in Emancipation: The Rise of Womanhood – the all-women artist exhibition that opened on Friday, January 16th at the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning.
But if you let Alma Leya tell it, strength is not always manifested as you might think. When I asked her who placed the lock on the woman’s lips in her piece Power of Silence? Alma’s reply was: “She herself […] because if you keep silent, that is the most powerful thing you can achieve.” When asked for an example of when being silent is powerful, Alma responded: “Some people will not understand your views, and it [talking] is a waste of words.”
For Silvia Mihai’s beautiful ceramic sculpture Dancing Blob (2024), she “really wanted to work with circles, spheres, and soft shapes that make reference to the feminine.” Silvia went on to explain that the piece features surface treatments made with stamps she made herself, before the piece was bisque-fired – to remove impurities from the clay – and then glazed before final firing. Referring to the piece of the sculpture that juts out near the top of the piece, “I was thinking more so about the movement, and trying to give the figure a little bit of a dancing feel. I will leave it up to the viewer to interpret.”
The inspiration to make art comes from many different places. Watching the movie Harriet several years ago compelled the artist Candice Rupert to act on a longstanding desire to create a piece featuring Harriet Tubman. One of her contributions to the show – entitled Minty – depicts Harriet Tubman with an American flag. While watching the film Harriet, “I just found myself crying throughout the movie, and just her courage to keep going is really what inspired me and made me want to do this piece. That attitude of her never giving up, and she kept going back, and I just felt like I needed to do something to pay honor to that.” The name of the piece, Minty, was the nickname that Harriet’s parents gave her as a child. Keep up with Candice and some of art endeavors @taona_house
In response to my question What brought you out to the show? – arts patron Divina Celestial shared, “I live in the area, and I love JCAL. I come not as often as I would like, but as often as I need. This place is my church, and every time I come here, I feel like I receive a message that was meant for me.”
If you visit Emancipation: The Rise of Womanhood, you might just hear a message meant for you. The show runs through Friday, March 6th.