By Sal Jones, ArtCan Artist
For the past few years I have exhibited at a show or event to commemorate International Women’s Day. This year is a particularly important one as it also coincides with the centenary for the votes for women – so I was keen to get involved and to exhibit somewhere I hadn’t shown before.
One of the great things about being a part of an organisation like ArtCan is that we share opportunities and open calls that might interest other artists via the forum. One such shared opportunity was for an open call for an exhibition ‘Rebel Daughters‘ at The Point in Doncaster, which I submitted to and was accepted with my painting ‘Here I Am, Inside’ (pictured at the beginning of this post).
Sixty women artists were selected to show their work in the exhibition curated by darts (Doncaster Community Arts) from an overwhelming number of submissions to an open call in 2017. The show is now on, and open until 7 April 2018, and the exhibition celebrates the passions and interests of women artists today. The show also launches a year-long programme of activity celebrating 100 years of votes for women, in partnership with Doncaster Museums.
As part of the exhibition the organisers have been asking women and girls to think about the questions ‘What does the phrase Rebel Daughter mean to you?’ and ‘What makes you a Rebel Daughter?’
Look out for the short films they are sharing on social media channels. They would also love you to join in and share your own responses by using the hashtag #RebelDaughters on Twitter and Facebook.
Here is my video from Rebel Daughters (I filmed it from my studio as I am based in London not Doncaster). As you can see I’m not comfortable in front of a camera ….. spot the fidgets.
To view more Rebel Daughters videos, visit their film series website. To find out more about activities or get involved in the Rebel Daughters of Doncaster project, follow @donnysuffrage on Twitter.
http://www.thepoint.org.uk/rebel-daughters-opening-night/
Transcript from Sal’s video: “A Rebel Daughter to me is a woman who does not follow the rules or expectations — or at least the usual ones expected of her time and society in which she lives. she stands up for her self, takes on new challenges. How am I a rebel daughter? I’ve never quite seemed to fit in somehow. I’ve always been inspired by creative culture that questions the norm. I like to think I stand up for what is right. I follow my own path, which as an artist and as anyone will tell you is not an easy route to take: it’s not safe, it’s not comfortable; it’s a constant battle against self-doubt and rejection, fraught with obstacles. It’s always a challenge, but — here I am, as is the title of my painting in Rebel Daughters.”