“We want to emphasize respect,” said artist Audrey Davis, who co-founded the group in 2018 with Lasley.
“This is Dayton, Ohio. We are made up of many types of people. That’s the purpose of Women Strong. Different cultures, religions, ages,” Audrey Davis said.
With diversity and a commitment to community at its core, Women Strong includes members of Jewish, African-American, Iranian, Chinese and Native American heritage ranging in age from 35 to 90. The group includes a doctor, lawyer, historian, minister and teacher.
All participants actively create art through “strong concerns of their own ethnic or cultural heritage.” said Audrey Davis.
The self-described sisterhood puts together three exhibits a year, and meets quarterly in each other’s homes. The collective is invite-only, and committed to celebrating and sharing their varied heritage with the community.
“Knowing that we all breathe the same air, drink the same water. You need to branch out, these are your neighbors,” said Audrey Davis of the group’s cross-cultural mission.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
The show includes guest artist Amy Dolan, Lasley’s sister, whose work explores nature and memory, a common theme found throughout the work of the artists.
“Women Strong is an interfaith, intercultural group of women artists committed to sharing and embracing difference,” said artist Elyssa Wortzman.
Her abstract multimedia paintings are inspired by the Middle Eastern and North African Jewish ritual of wearing customary death shrouds not just while in mourning, but at joyful occasions like holiday celebrations.
“I explore how we might collect memories from life to wrap around us in death, bringing joy to what we might often see as a devastating event,” said Wortzman.
The pieces, which feature torn canvas as an act of memorial, share a theme with the work of Ms. Davis, who typically works in jewelry but here has displayed a 3-D piece inspired by Nigerian mourning customs involving torn fabric. This shared visual language of grief, unity and remembrance unite the artists through expressions of healing.
Other media includes traditional Chinese ceramics by Sinclair history professor Yufeng Wang, who, trained by her father, said she could write in calligraphy before she could hold a pen.
Marsha Pippenger, a mixed media artist who for years ran the Dayton Society of Artists, has created collages inspired by Lasley’s favored color palette. Louis Fortson, a former reverend, has two clay figural sculptures, including a bust of activist and U.S. Congressman John Lewis.
“I thought it would be an adequate statement of love and unity,” said Fortson of the decision to include the likeness of the civil rights leader in a show about unity and remembrance.
Come see “In Loving Memory” for yourself to see the entire variety of vibrant works created by this group of dedicated women artists.
HOW TO GO
What: “In Living Memory”, an exhibition by Women Strong
Where: EbonNia Gallery, 1135 W. Third St., Dayton
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through Jan 31
Admission: Free
Participating artists: Audrey Davis (Co-Founder), Amy Dolan (Guest Artist), Janet Lasley (posthumously), Cydnie King, Elyssa Wortzman, Yufeng Wang, Erin Smith Glenn, Lois Fortson, Diana Barr, Marsha Pippenger, Frances Turner, Nasrin Madiji
More info: 937-223-2290. Some of the artwork is available for sale.
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