STILL COUNTING: INSPIRED INTERIORS MARKS A MOVEMENT AT SOFA CHICAGO

STILL COUNTING: INSPIRED INTERIORS MARKS A MOVEMENT AT SOFA CHICAGO

October 31, 2019

I am endlessly inspired by the power and passion of women working together. It’s why, as an entrepreneur and a mother of three, I founded Inspired Interiors as a place where work-life balance takes precedence and women feel supported to succeed. 

Over my career, I have helped coordinate and have contributed my work to several exhibitions focused on women’s empowerment, an endeavor I find most rewarding in my work. This week, I will have the incredible opportunity to showcase an assemblage of works by 21 influential female artists, all representing indelible moments in the fight for women’s equality, at SOFA CHICAGO, the premier gallery-presented art fair dedicated to three-dimensional art and design. The exhibition has an opening-night preview on Thursday, Oct. 31 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 3 at Navy Pier.

Honoring the 100-year anniversary of women’s right to vote, “Still Counting” brings together personal, powerful works provoked by the number of years it has taken to receive equal rights in a list of categories essential to living in true gender equity (think everything from Supreme Court appointments and Presidential nominations to the right to economic identity). Each art piece is showcased in a vignette designed by Inspired Interiors and is paired with a bold red number representing the length of the fight. 

As part of the exhibition, I have gathered a group of thought leaders to participate in a compelling panel discussion from noon-1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3. I am honored to join these esteemed professionals to deliberate on our personal experiences and goals for our industries in this era of unprecedented change. The conversation will be moderated by Sally Lou Loveman, former audience producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and will feature Audarshia Townsend, a food and culture writer, editor and on-air personality; Shaylyn Cullen, founder and president of Cullen Construction Management; Anuja Gupta, a physician and real estate developer; and Michelle Rivas, a Latina healthcare writer and adjunct professor at DePaul University’s College of Communication.

Each of the thought-provoking pieces from the “Still Counting” exhibition will be auctioned off via an online art auction site, open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, with 50 percent of proceeds benefiting a women’s rights organization. A live onsite painting during the event will blur the lines between artist and attendee, with silhouettes of guests continuously layered over another, illustrating how we’re all connected in this ongoing quest for equality. 

View fullsize NOW/Present Day BOJITT Powerhouse, 2019 Acrylic paint, mixed paint, mural View fullsize #4/First Woman Nominated for President by a Major Political Party K Ann Horn Glass Dish on High Heat, 2019. Oil on canvas. 30″ W x 40″ H View fullsize #5/Equal Marriage Sarah Raskey Love Has Won, 2019 Acrylic, Oil, Paper, Resin, Spray Paint, Canvas 60″H x 20″W View fullsize #7/Right to Fight in Combat Jenny Vyas MELEE, 2019 Acrylics on Canvas 30″ x 40″ View fullsize #34/Right to Seek Damages from Sexual Harassment in the WorkplaceCatherine Schwalbe Women’s Rights are Human Rights, 2019 View fullsize #35/Right to a No-Fault Divorce Audry Cramblit Thin Line, 2014 Cast bronze figure mounted on stainless steel coil 10.25″ x 10.25″ x 57″ View fullsize #37/First Woman in Space Sarvin Haghighi Beaming Soul, 2017 Mixed Media on wood (Acrylic, Spray Paint, gold leaf, plaster, Resin, ink, rice paper) 24″ x 24″ View fullsize #39/First Woman Supreme Court Shelly PerryTattered and Torn, 2019Wood Panel Mixed Media: Oil Paint, Gold Leaf, Paper, and Feathers72″ x 36″ View fullsize #42/Protection from Pregnancy Discrimination in Work Pamela Rogalski - Mica, fabric, transparency, jewelry, stampings, rusted bottle top, screws, wood, paper, thread, acrylic paint14″ x 16″ x 3″ View fullsize #45/Access to Sit on Juries Corinne Peterson Chasm, 2013 Stoneware clay, colored slips, kiln-fired. 26″ H x 16″ L x 11″ D View fullsize #46/Right to Credit Card Susan WashingtonSeventy-Four, 2019Museo (museum quality) stretcher bars and triple gesso, wrapped canvas36″ x 48″ View fullsize #47/Right to Terminate a Pregnancy Nancy Pirri My Choice!, 2019 Hand-built ceramic; slip, mason stains; oils 21″ x 7.5″ x 9″ View fullsize #48A/Access to Academic and Athletic Resources (Title IX) Karolina Maszkiewicz Runner’s Stretch, 2019 Aluminum powder coated 12″ x 24″ x 17″ View fullsize #48B/Right to Terminate a Pregnancy Laura Marmash She Soars, 2018 Terra cotta wall plates, slip, underglaze, oxides, glaze Approx. 26″ x 23″ View fullsize #52/Equal Access to Job Listings Susan Messer McBride Equality, 2019 White Stoneware/B-Clay, flashing slip, soda fired. 9” x 4” x 4” and 8” x 4” x 4” View fullsize #57/Wage Disparity (1963 Equal Pay Act) Emily MackieYou’ve Got This, 2019Mirror, Men’s Ties, Walnut Plywood22″ x 44″ View fullsize #83/Right to Initiate Divorce Sheila Arora Crazy Portrait 26, 2015 Acrylic and mixed media on paper 13″x17″ View fullsize #100/Right to Vote Sophia ForeroSashes, Aprons, and Heels: Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon, 2019Glass, Gold, Mixed Metal, Feathers, Doll Heads, Glue, Paint, Glitter, Mannequin, Iron, Thread View fullsize #130/First Woman Owned & Operated Business Lynn Neuman Action Woman, Vision, 2019 Oil on canvas 24″ x 30″ View fullsize ?/Into the Future BOJITT & Emily Mackie Still Counting…, 2019 Queen Anne ‘Ladies’ wingback chairs, duck fabric, gesso primer, spray paint Featured Elm Street Reimagined: A 1922 Dutch Colonial Becomes a Living Showroom

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