Community: feminist.bloggers@brooklynmuseum

In conjunction with the Votes for Women exhibition in the Herstory Gallery, we are always looking for more stories about the many unsung pioneers of women’s suffrage. Long-time curatorial and library volunteer and friend of the Brooklyn Museum, Marty Levenson, has this fascinating account to share about Esther Hobart Morris, a local activist from Wyoming who’s brave efforts to promote suffrage legislation led to her appointment as one of the first female justices of the peace in the Wyoming Territory, as it was known in the mid-late 1800s. Read more of Marty’s account of Esther Hobart Morris below.

“Following years of legislative and social struggle, women received the right to vote under US Federal law in 1920. But the country’s first legislative success with regard to women’s suffrage came in 1869 in the then newly created Wyoming Territory.

Though not a member of the Territorial legislature, Esther Hobart Morris has been given major credit for supporting that bill and other laws that allowed married women to control their own property, and provided equal pay for women teachers.

Mrs. Morris was appointed a justice of the peace in 1870 and was the country’s first woman to serve in a judicial office. Afterward, she continued to be active in political affairs and during Wyoming’s statehood celebration in 1890 she was honored for her suffrage activities. In 1895, at age 80, she was elected a delegate to the national suffrage convention in Cleveland.

A life size statue of Mrs. Morris stands directly in front of the Wyoming state capitol in Cheyenne and a copy of the statue was donated to the national statuary hall in the US Capitol when she was designated Wyoming’s representative in that exhibit.”

– Marty Levenson.

(Statue of Esther Hobart Morris by Avard Fairbanks in front of Capitol Building, Cheyenne, WY. Photo: Einar Einarsson Kvaran.)

Sure, chocolate covered strawberries and steamy kisses are nice. And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a sucker for those sugary treats with cute sayings like “Be Mine” and “You’re Sweet.” But this February 14, why not become part of a global movement? V-Day!

Eve Ensler is practically a household name thanks to her V-Day movement, which supports consciousness raising awareness events and workshops that respond to the impact of violence against women worldwide. Beginning in 1998, Ensler sought to raise awareness and money to support women who are victims of violent crimes such as sexual assault, rape and harassment. Now, in 2008, the supporters of the V-Day movement have raised more than 30 million dollars worldwide and educated just as many.

So what does this infamous “V” stand for? Valentine, Victory, and of course Vagina. Three symbols that Ensler embraces with pride. Events on V-Day include the re-staging of Ensler’s ground-breaking, Obie-award winning production The Vagina Monologues. Past Vagina Monologues productions have included many talented artists, activists, and performers such as Kirstie Alley, Linda Ellerby, Claire Danes, Robin Givens and Glenn Close, among others.

The Big Apple is a host to a handful of Vagina Monologues performances taking place at colleges and universities, and The New School and New York University are just two of the many colleges participating in this worthwhile event.

Get involved and don’t miss out on the show this week. For more information on V-day performances, or to find out how to get involved, visit the V-Day website.

On May 19th, an amazing group of women came and celebrated the Center at the event, “A Place at the Table” and it was a huge success! A special thanks to Susan Grabel, and the entire core group of women involved in making the entire night possible with their dedication and heartfelt support. The filming of the event was produced and directed by Niki DiCesare, of Bella Films and shot and edited by Omar Villegas. Below is a video of the event if you would like to share in our celebration, or go to www.bellafilmsinc.com, for more information.

Click To Play

“Our A Place at the Table celebration on May 19, 2007 at the Brooklyn Museum was a huge success - lots of fun, good turnout, good camaraderie, good spirit. We celebrated Elizabeth A. Sackler and the Brooklyn Museum and Maura Reilly and Melissa Messina for breaking down another barrier to the full appreciation of the contributions of Feminism, Feminist Art and all women artists to our culture. And hey - Feminist Art in a major museum! That’s what we’ve been working towards all these years!” —Susan Grabel, A Place at the Table

Produced and Directed by Nicole DiCesare
Shot and Cut by Omar Villegas

College Art Association is honoring Linda Nochlin today as the Distinguished Scholar at the 2007 Annual Conference in New York. The Distinguished Scholar Session, entitled “Feminism: Fantasies, Memories, Futures,” chaired by Tamar Garb of the University College London, explores the legacy of Nochlin’s work to raise questions about the historiography, dreams, and aspirations of the ongoing project of feminist art history. Participants include Molly Nesbit, Vassar College; Ewa Lajer-Burcharth, Harvard University; Abigail Solomon-Godeau, University of California, Santa Barbara; and Moira Roth, Mills College. Read more about this great news!