Being a feminist and an artist myself, I have gotten substantial first-hand experience with the challenges that come with creating “female art”. The challenges come from various angles and corners: the industry, the market and society itself.
“There is no market for the kind of work that you.”
“Does it have to be so…feminist?”
“I just don’t get it…”
I have heard it all and then some more which is why, supporting and encouraging women in the art world is always on top of my development agenda. I believe now is the time to actively support female empowerment and gender equality in the arts industry, as numerous industries across the globe are still progressing at a snail’s pace. This support can start individually and only then can it snowball into something significant and ground-breaking.
So, what can we do to support women artists and equality in general?
Here are 4 things that you can start from today.
- Educate yourself
The internet is a beautiful place with ample of resources for information and content on the history, culture and politics of art by women. There are podcasts, movies and Youtube channels that you can listen and watch to educate yourself and also get a nuanced perspective on the woman artist experience. If you are looking for my recommendations, I would suggest listening to The Great Women Artists and Beyond the Paint podcasts. They are incredibly entertaining and provide invaluable insight into the current art market.
- Support institutions and galleries that host women artist exhibits
Go online and find out galleries, exhibitions and institutions that are actively supporting and displaying art created by women. There might not be a lot of them out there, which is why it is even more important for us to go out and visit these places that are hosting these events. If you cannot afford to buy the artworks, a visit is more than enough as this would be encouraging for these places to continue doing their work.
- Post it on your socials!
This is another effective yet convenient way to show your support for female artists. Social media can single handily skyrocket an artists career, if their work is shared by the right people at the right time. In order for that to happen, we need to find female art that we resonate with and share it on our feeds, so that people who follow us can also discover this art and perhaps, share it as well. With this happening often enough, we might be able to bring considerable visibility to numerous women artists.
- Buy the art!
Yes, if you can, then put your money where your mouth is. I remember the first time when I was able to sell my artwork and how it felt to have made a living out of something that I cared so passionately about. This is why I love to collect art from up and coming female artists, it encourages them and makes them feel that their work has artistic and monetary value. So, I cannot stress enough, if you have the means for it then definitely go out and invest in female art.
There you have it: 4 easy ways in which you can do your part and support women artists. So, review this list and see what are the things that you can do which can help in pushing the female arts to the cultural forefront. It all starts from us…
Shop my artwork collection here.
Check my digital artwork collection here.