It wasn't until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that women of color in the South were able to exercise their voting rights without restrictions. They are still fighting the good fight.

As a white cis-gendered heterosexual migrant woman living in the American South, now is the time to acknowledge the past and make changes to ensure a genuinely free, kinder, and equal America. 

Making these changes will not be easy, but we are stronger together.  

VOTE NOW

This artwork consists of a chorus line of 3 women's stockings of various colors. They are embroidered with roses and embellished with glass beading. The work is attached to the wall with a metal ring that appears as a garter decorated with antique lace with sequins/ beads and weighted at the base with sockets decorated with vintage buttons. The toes are en-pointe (a ballet term) as if rising from the pedestal that forms a floor at their feet.

The legs are of different colors to signify women's positions towards their fellow women's rights. The white signifies a lack of interest as they have traditionally been a beneficiary of their white husbands'/fathers' position of wealth and power. The bluestocking refers to the educated woman's emancipated opinion, and the black representing women of color who have struggled for so long for civil rights. 

The use of the rose motive evokes the Tennessee legislature's historical debate to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920. Those who supported women's enfranchisement wore yellow roses, and anti-suffragists wore red roses. The white roses on the black leg signify the incredible grace and courage of women of color who championed the suffrage course without receiving the full benefit.

Exhibited in 2020, September. Suffrage 100. The Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in Windsor, CT. Juried group exhibition. Curated by Jennifer McCandless, Gallery Director and Ellyn Weiss a visual artist in two and three dimensions and an independent curator.