Voices of Resistance: Artist Talk

Exhibition on View: January 31 - February 24, 2019

Opening reception: Saturday, February 2, 5-7 p.m.
Audience Participation Photoshoot: Saturday, February 9, 2-4pm
 

All events are free and open to the public.

Since the founding of the United States, voices of resistance have given rise to concerns and movements to improve the quality of life for a greater  cross section of "The People."  Filley's series looks to the past for an understanding of the struggles, gallant efforts and endurance of those who came before. It seeks to find inspiration in the work they did laying the cornerstones of who we are today as a nation. It builds a bridge of conversation between then and now in order to connect more deeply with those who were ignored and devalued in the past. Moreover, the series strives to imagine a more inclusive, brighter future for generations to come.

The images in Voices of Resistance revisit the lives of numerous historical figures both real and, in some cases, partially imagined, including: Harriet Tubman, Betsy Ross, Frances Willard, Ida B Wells, Frances Harper, Pandita Ramabai and Catherine Waugh McCulloch.  The images focus on the early organizing efforts of women for social change and examine the causes and struggles for justice that have transcended time. Their scope spans from the fight for abortion rights, voting rights, immigration rights, the right to bare arms and the #MeToo movement, to the thread of history that runs through the abolition of slavery, the anti-lynching movement, the civil rights movement and the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Inspired by the Women's Marches in January 2017/ 2018, the recent Year of the Woman and the November 2018 elections, Filley states that "it has felt imperative to look to the past for reminders of hope, to see a timeline of change that respects the humanity of the many over the few. It is from the triumphs of history that we can imagine a more hopeful union."