Curated by artist and designer Carrie Feder, "A Declaration of Sentiments: Reflections on the Centennial of Women's Right to Vote in NYS" mixes contemporary art with historical artifacts to evoke the atmosphere of the 19th-century suffragist movement against the backdrop of contemporary art. Eighteen women artists working across a variety of media—textiles, collage, sculpture, painting, photography—are featured in the show, including two whose work has graced the cover of this magazine: Susan Wides and Portia Munson.
Germantown-based Melora Kuhn draws from fairy tales, mythology, and American history (another form of mythology) in her paintings, investigating what is often left out of the historical record. Banished is painted from an antique photograph of two women she found at a flea market. Kuhn is unclear on who they are, but not about their subversiveness. "Are they lovers?," asks Kuhn. "Sisters? Witches? Is one of them mentally ill? Whatever it was, it wasn't kosher for the time."
"A Declaration of Sentiments" will be exhibited June 3 through August 20 at the Athens Cultural Center. (518) 421-3443.
