Culture
DACO to Host ‘Women Speak’ Event July 8-9
By: Emily Votaw
Posted on:
July 8-9 the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio (DACO), nestled in the throbbing heart of downtown Lancaster, will host “Celebrating Women’s Voices Through Art and Expression,” an entire weekend of various art-centric, female-experience-exploring programming.
The event is paired alongside DACO’s current exhibition, Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict, which features the work of three Ohio-based female artists who all work with different artistic mediums. The exhibition will be on display through August 13.
On Saturday, July 8, art historian, sculptor, and assistant professor at the Columbus College of Art & Design, Carol Boram-Hays, Ph.D., will speak on the history of women’s art in her keynote talk, entitled “Our Story: Women in the History of Art.”
“Women are underrepresented in the world of art, and they have been for a long time,” said Boram-Hays in an interview with WOUB a few weeks before DACO’s event. “There are a number of theories about this disparity; such as the fact that women’s art has long been associated with works like textiles and ceramics and mediums that have a lower status in the world of art. Another theory – and one that may be more relevant – is the fact that we live in a patriarchy – we are dominated by men. Even if you are a woman, you are socialized into a patriarchal culture and you tend to prioritize men in all kinds of ways – including within the art world.”
Boram-Hays will speak on the historical contributions of women to the arts; from the first documented self-portrait crafted by a woman in the medieval period to the effect that second-wave feminism had on women’s art in the later part of the 21st century.
“We live in a patriarchy – we are dominated by men. Even if you are a woman, you are socialized into a patriarchal culture and you tend to prioritize men in all kinds of ways – including within the art world.” – Carol Boram-Hays, Ph.D.
“There should be a better historical understanding of the kind of contributions that women have made to the arts,” she said. “For instance, recent research suggests that ancient cave paintings by early human beings might have been made more often by women – even though societal prejudice has always hinted that men painted them.”
Boram-Hays said that starting in the late ‘50s and onward, the intellectual and theoretical study of feminism led to a wider understanding of its impact on the arts.
“As feminism became a more theoretical issue, women artists began to deal with issues that specifically impact women – such as societal pressures on the body; the special kind of violence that women endure in war; a lot of art of the ‘60s and ‘70s deal with those issues,” said Boram-Hays. “Contemporary feminism has embraced a more inclusive kind of sphere and deals heavily with international issues and issues that impact people from all over the world.”
After Boram-Hays speaks, Lebanese-American poet Ruth Awad and spoken word artist Meaca Moore will conduct readings.
The following day, Sunday, July 9, those who take part in the event will be given the opportunity to try their hand at creative writing, painting, and bookbinding in intimate, low-pressure workshops conducted by painter Leslie Shiels, writer Valerie Cumming, and book binder Jennifer Evans Kinsley.
Saturday’s events run from 10: 30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday’s events run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for each day cost $25 for non-members and $20 for members.