The current exhibit at De Anza College’s Euphrat Museum of Art honors women whose courage and creativity helped change the world.
“Women Pathmakers” is on view through March 12 in conjunction with Silicon Valley Reads 2020 and its theme, “Women Making it Happen.”
Works in the exhibit honor the contributions of women from iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday to 19th-century mathematician Ada Lovelace. Both are given the large-scale treatment, with Guy Diehl’s tapestry, “Billie Holiday Quartet Series No. 1” and large-scale digital illustrations on fabric by Pantea Karimi depicting both early computer scientist Lovelace and Hypatia of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who was murdered by Christian detractors. Karimi’s series “The Forgotten Women of Science” is on view at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles through March 1.
“These women did not just assume marginalized roles in the male-dominated fields of science,” Karimi said in a statement. “They were also pioneers and generators of cutting-edge ideas.”
For her series “At Least I Have You,” artist Jennifer Mondfrans created fictive letters about women scientists and the challenges they faced. Her subject include nuclear physicist Chien Shiung Wu, astronomer Vera Rubin, and Rita Levi-Montalcini, winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine. The Euphrat exhibit also features a couple works from Mondfrans’ “Portrait” series, of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks and flamenco dancer and singer Carmen Amaya.
Other media in “Women Pathmakers” include film and sculpture. Writer/director Rae Chang and Adam Tow’s film “Autumn Gem: A Documentary on Modern China’s First Feminist” explores the life of Qiu Jin (1875-1907), a radical women’s rights activist who opposed oppressive practices such as footbinding and demanded equal opportunities for women. It stars former China National Wushu Champion and Hollywood stunt actress Li Jing and is the first documentary feature on Qiu Jin shown in the U.S.
Wanxin Zhang’s large-scale ceramic sculptures in “Women Pathmakers” are inspired by female Buddhas and reference both historical and contemporary cultural contexts. “What a Fantasy World” depicts an elegant yet perplexed historical figure looking into the present.
Other cultural representations of women include works by Rupy C. Tut and Canadian artist Keerat Kaur, both of whom draw from their Punjabi Sikh background in their art; Jessica Sabogal, a first-generation Columbian American muralist and activist; and Fariba Nejat, who paints portraits of inspiring people from Iranian history and culture.
The exhibit also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave American women the right to vote. “Wake Up Call,” Susan Else’s quilted and mechanized large-scale tea pot sculptures reflect the important role tea played in the suffragette movement, when tea products and parties served as important fundraisers for the cause.
Jen Myhre, head of De Anza’s Sociology Department, created an interactive installation reminiscent of a suffragette’s tea parlor, with yellow wallpaper, a table and chairs set for tea, portraits of African American suffragists, and voting rights information. Myhre will serve tea and cookies and hold conversations at various times throughout the exhibit’s run.
Other special events around “Women Pathmakers” include a Feb. 12 artists’ reception and a March 7 drop-in art workshop, “Women Pathmaker Portraits.” The museum was to be open Jan. 23 before and after the Silicon Valley Reads 2020 kick-off event at 7:30 p.m. at De Anza’s Visual & Performing Arts Center.
Regular museum hours are Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit www.deanza.edu/euphrat.