A new art exhibit titled “The Woman’s Perspective” has opened at the Owensboro Convention Center, showcasing the resilience and empathy of women artists from diverse backgrounds. Curated by local artist Frederica Diane Huff, the exhibit features works from female artists from the United States, Egypt, South Korea, China, and Cuba.
The exhibit encourages visitors to explore two and three-dimensional artworks that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking. These pieces use a variety of media to celebrate unity among women despite their diverse origins.
“Eight years ago, I curated an exhibit “Celebration of Women Artists ” with artworks from “The Woman’s Perspective” of 10 Western Kentucky women artists and traveled that exhibit in Louisville, Bardstown, and Owensboro,” Huff said. “It was a heady time with the first woman ever to be nominated by a major political party running for president. Much has changed since then, and not all for the better.”
Huff said while revisiting the original exhibition concept, the current “Woman’s Perspective” includes the work of several of the same women but many more from outside the region.
“It is both local and international in scope, including artists of Egyptian, Chinese, Korean, Cuban, and American origin,” she said. “Still true to its original considerations, the exhibit considers many social issues faced by women, but I was startled by the number of women I was interviewing who were using their art to speak to their struggles with cancer so that theme of resilience seems to have taken a front row seat in my mind. The exhibit is diverse, and space is limited, so in most cases, only one artwork per exhibitor was included.”
One installation by Bowling Green art teacher and mother Catron Burdette turns her battle with breast cancer into a visual statement. It features a bright pink crocheted yarn wig. Besides this, a tongue-in-cheek image depicts a woman wearing hair curlers, juxtaposing the seriousness with the mundane aspects of female life.
Another striking piece is Maureen Berry’s “Girl on Fire,” a mixed media drawing symbolizing courage through its fiery red-haired subject. Berry, a recent Florida transplant and former cookbook writer turned full-time artist, incorporates her personal battles into her work, stating, “When the world is on fire, GIRL ON FIRE is calm and always wears red lipstick.”
Leeza Dukes, a local artist and fashion designer who lost her thyroid to Graves disease, paints a portrait of resilience and beauty with her depiction of a proud diva. Meanwhile, Gloria Carrico integrates her cancer fight into yarn paintings and the Tree of Life book art, reflecting her background as an interior design and fashion instructor at Western Kentucky University.
The exhibit also features Tracey Bivens Helm’s modern-day Rosie the Riveter, a photograph of a young woman in a defiant pose. Additionally, Laurie Elizabeth Huff captures the fading cultural life of the Masaii in Uganda with a picture printed on metal depicting a cattle herder at sunset.
International artists include Dr. Miwon Choe from South Korea, whose silver sculpture illustrates the intricate dance of life, and Dr. Mona Hussein from Egypt, whose works focus on peace and unity. Cuban artist Daymara Osmara Cruz portrays rural resilience through her realistic collages.
“The Woman’s Perspective” provides a platform for these powerful stories and addresses the underrepresentation of female artists in major exhibitions and museum acquisitions in the United States.
The exhibit is open through the end of July. It offers a unique insight into the experiences of women artists worldwide, celebrating their strength, resilience, and artistry in the face of personal and societal challenges.
