“Every Monday for 12 months, The Reconstructionists will debut a hand-painted illustration and short essay highlighting a woman from fields such as art, science, and literature.” [from Storyboard]
Think Anna Magdalena Bach will make an appearance?
I’m fascinated by this Reconstructionists project (the title makes me think of religious movements?) and love the combo of illustration with text. Together with “The Female Gaze” exhibit I recently saw at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts — and the corresponding panel discussion with art critic Ken Johnson — I’m mulling a lot of ideas about what it means to single out “women” as a group. Is it actually meaningful to lump together such a diverse cross-section of human beings on the basis of one common signifier? Does marking out distinct gender boundaries perpetuate a second-tier status? Or does it provide necessary opportunities to be seen/heard for those whose work would otherwise be overlooked in our still-male-dominant society?
And what does all of that mean for me as I focus on the creative work of this particular character, Anna Magdalena?
While I ponder all of that, I’ll keep checking this lovely site to see what new wonders emerge.
