Artists display 'The Stories We Dream' for Women's History Month

Artists showcase their creations at "The Stories We Dream" multimedia exhibit at the Petit Branch Library.

A handful of female artists visited the Petit Branch Library to discuss their artwork on display for "The Stories We Dream" multimedia exhibit reception on March 12 for Women's History Month.

Congress designated March as Women’s History Month in 1987, and organizer Geraldine Greig has decided to show female artworks in public places every year since.

This year's exhibition was aimed to promote female arts, with the theme “The Stories We Dream.” 

Photo: Shumin Lai
Artist Deborah Holihan with her sculpture, “Jack in the pulpit”.

“Everybody has their own styles and comes up with their own ideas,” Greig said. “That is why the title has to do with the ideas that we dreamed in our head.”

Angela Arrey-Wastavino, one of the artists from the Onondaga Art Guild, said the new staff in the children’s area of Petit Branch Library did not allow them to exhibit artwork about children, which inhibited children from appreciating art.

“Children should be exposed to art,” Arrey-Wastavino said. “I did this painting because I want to specifically contribute to children.”

Women made nearly all of the artwork in the exhibition. However, six years ago, a group of men protested that it was discrimination that the organizer didn’t allow men’s artwork to be exhibited. Then, Greig decided to display men’s artwork, but only if they represent women or if they embed female spirits in it.

The creations varied from 2-D to 3-D, including paintings, photographs, sculptures and ceramics.

Sculptor Deborah Holihan’s main artworks are 3-D silk-mached sculptures. When she notices something interesting, she said she liked to recreate it to a 3-D sculpture with wire and silk. She said the sculpture named Jack in the Pulpit was modeled after the wildflower in her backyard. The artwork See Gull, a close look of a woman’s eye, came from a cosmetic advertisement.

After painting for 40 years, Holihan said she taught herself how to create sculptures in 2010. She said each sculpture took her more than 30 hours to make.

“I like to work with my hands,” Holihan said. “I guess it does take a lot of time but I enjoy every moment.”

Stories We Dream by Shumin Lai

"See Gull" Deborah Holihan Photo: Shumin Lai

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