ACCESS: An Ordinary Notion
National Juried Exhibition
Sponsored by the Northern California Women's Caucus for Art
Saturday, June 15 -Saturday, July 13, 2024
Arc Gallery, San Francisco
The entry period is closed and all submitted works are with the jurors.
All entrants will be notified of results by May 1, 2024
With ACCESS: An Ordinary Notion, we seek artworks that tell individual stories and advocate for social justice and human rights. We are committed to amplifying various voices and viewpoints as we strive for peace using art as a visual narrative. ACCESS-An Ordinary Notion will showcase art in all media that speak to and illuminate the ongoing conversation around race, women's and LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive rights, disparities in global wealth, power, access to food, water, shelter, education, health services, disability access, child and elder care, along with immigration issues, climate change, and criminal (in)justice in the modern world. We are open to, and encouraging, a wide range of interpretations.
It has been over 100 years since the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This exhibition is in honor of Alice Paul, suffragist, who re-wrote the amendment in 1943 expanding the language to be more in line with recently passed legislation. Dubbed the ‘Alice Paul Amendment,’ the new amendment stated, ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.’ The 19th Amendment, granting women suffrage, is the only mention of the word 'woman' in the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, the only right guaranteed to women by federal law is the right to vote. The ERA has yet to be ratified.
NCWCA is pleased to announce that we are partnering with the Alice Paul Institute and the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House for ACCESS: An Ordinary Notion Exhibition. Both the Alice Paul Institute and the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House plan to contribute to ACCESS: An Ordinary Notion Exhibition with catalog essays, in-person panel participation, intergenerational projects, curriculum development, East Coast ACCESS: An Ordinary Notion Exhibition program days, national outreach, scholarship and more!
NCWCA showcases artwork as a conduit in our collective determination for rights that should never be exclusive or for the privileged, but instead are interrelated, interdependent, and indivisible for all. We believe that art can be a powerful vehicle to spark meaningful discussion and ignite inflection points. We also believe in the artist’s voice to foster these important dialogues worldwide. For the ACCESS Exhibition, we invite artists to inspire us to action and to create visions for a new, more inclusive, and just society.
Jurors:
Elizabeth Addison, NCWCA Exhibitions Chair, Visual Artist, Educator, Curator
Karen M. Gutfreund, Independent Curator, Consultant, Artist
Meghan Lewis MacLeod, Ph.D., Ecofeminist Artist, Creative Arts-based Counselor, WCA LGBTQ+ Pod Leader
Exhibition Director:
Elizabeth Addison, NCWCA Exhibitions Chair, Visual Artist, Educator, Curator
About the Alice Paul Institute
The Alice Paul Institute builds contemporary action and intergenerational movement for gender justice through the lens of history and of place.
In 1984, a group of advocates for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) decided to ensure that the 1985 centennial of the birth of Alice Paul, the author of the ERA, would be appropriately commemorated. They founded the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, then created a slate of leadership programs for girls and purchased an important collection of Paul’s papers and artifacts. Eventually, they were also offered the opportunity to acquire Paul’s childhood home, Paulsdale, saving the house and property from development. Today, as the Alice Paul Institute, the organization continues to educate and empower girls and young women to view themselves as leaders, encourage civic engagement, preserve Paulsdale, and advocate for the passage of the ERA which, when enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, will give legal and lasting equal protections to people of all genders. https://www.alicepaul.org/equal-rights-amendment-2/
In 1984, a group of advocates for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) decided to ensure that the 1985 centennial of the birth of Alice Paul, the author of the ERA, would be appropriately commemorated. They founded the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, then created a slate of leadership programs for girls and purchased an important collection of Paul’s papers and artifacts. Eventually, they were also offered the opportunity to acquire Paul’s childhood home, Paulsdale, saving the house and property from development. Today, as the Alice Paul Institute, the organization continues to educate and empower girls and young women to view themselves as leaders, encourage civic engagement, preserve Paulsdale, and advocate for the passage of the ERA which, when enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, will give legal and lasting equal protections to people of all genders. https://www.alicepaul.org/equal-rights-amendment-2/
About the Susan B. Anthony Museum
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House interprets the great reformer’s vision and story, preserves and shares her National Historic Landmark home and headquarters, collects and exhibits artifacts related to her life and work, and offers tours and interpretive programs to inspire and challenge individuals to make a positive difference. https://susanb.org/