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PERRY — The arts have always been an important and integral part of our rural community.
In recent years, the role of women in the arts has been increasingly recognized and celebrated. As a result, the Arts Council of Wyoming County will be hosting its premiere “Local Women in the Arts” docu-exhibition through the month of March at the ACWC Gallery, 31 South Main St.
“I’ve actually wanted to do this for years,” said Jacqueline Swaby, executive director for the ACWC. “I just think its important to bring attention to the people right in our backyards that are doing great work.”
She said the GLOW region is loaded with women in arts doing amazing things.
Swaby came up with a list – adding by no means is it extensive – and it will give her at least three years of exhibition. The exhibit will focus on about 15 women each year.
“I’m sure this will continue to be populated because as more people hear about, or as I meet other women in the arts, they are going to get added to that list,” she said.
The women who are part of the first exhibit are: Jo Anne Brocklehurst, Karen Canning, Esther Frank-Doyle, Linda Franke, Sarah Keeler, Jonette Lancos, Pilar McKay, Barbara Meyer, Mary Lee (DeGolyer) Page, Jamie Pankow, Linda Purdy, Mary Jo Whitman, Joan McMaster Schumaker, Emma Wiseman, and Annie Wright.
Biographies and photographs of each woman is featured, those the designation as a docu-exhibition.
The women represent diverse artistic disciplines, including dance, music, theater, and visual art. These women have significantly contributed to their respective fields, and many have been recognized and appreciated for their works, Swaby said.
In addition to their local impact, some of these women’s work or leadership have reached the national and international stage. They bring unique perspectives to their crafts and have demonstrated versatility in their influences, Swaby said.
The exhibition also features art administrators, critical to many art organizations’ success.
There will be a conversation circle 11 a.m. Saturday. Norm Gayford, a retired English teacher from Genesee Community College, will be interviewing the 15 women. The session will be videotaped and added to the ACWC’s website, artswyco.org, for people to watch.
The exhibit opened this week – on Wednesday, March 8, which was International Women’s Day – and will close March 31. A reception is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 25.
WHAT: “Local Women in the Arts,” an exhibit sharing the stories of 15 women who work in the arts.
WHERE: Arts Council for Wyoming County, 31 South Main St., Perry.
WHEN: Through March 31. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
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