Haddonfield Memorial High School’s 50/50 club will host its fifth “Through a Woman’s Eyes” art show at the Haddon Fortnightly on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The show is free, with a suggested donation of $10. It will feature musical performances by student groups from the school and refreshments from the Fortnightly.
This year’s theme is Women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). The club will cite the following women by naming awards after them:
- Best student art: Linda B. Buck Award
- Best photography/mixed media: Katherine Johnson Award
- Best painting: Cynthia Breazeal: Award
- Best non-painting: Edmonia Lewis Award
- Best in show: Maria Marion Award
- Founders award (best use of theme): Hedy Lamarr Award, named for the Hollywood actress who pioneered technology that led to modern communication systems like GPS.
The 50/50 club focuses on promoting gender equality both in schools and in the wider community. It functions as a local chapter of the Girls Learn Institute, a program that, among other things, “empowers and educates middle- and high-school students to advocate for human rights, equality and universal education in the U.S.
Club President Alexandra Himmel noted that each woman represents a different aspect of STEAM, and the group’s officers specifically sought out underrepresented females whose achievements have rarely been highlighted.
“When people come to the show, they’ll not only see the art we exhibit from the community, but we’re also hoping to have this educational piece of learning more about women’s contributions,” said club advisor Margaret Gammie. “It’s not even limited to the U.S. We include women from other countries to profile, women that people may not know as much about.”
The exhibit will feature art created by female or non-binary-identifying artists both in the community and some still in school, and about 50 pieces from a diverse range of mediums.
“I think the main reason we’re doing that is because a lot of spaces where art is generally seen, it’s still dominated by men,” Himmel noted. “One woman is making a quilt. We have sculptures, photography, paintings, charcoal, all different types of mediums, all different types of thematic works.
“Everything is women in STEAM, really just a diverse pool but all centered around female artists,” she added. “I think it has an extreme breadth and depth in every single piece.”
“Our biggest goal is just to expose the art and get people having conversations about the art and celebrating artists,” said Gammie.
The show began in 2017 and is a highly anticipated event for local and student artists. Funds raised through sponsorships, artist fees and in-person donations all benefit Girls Learn International. Past shows have raised more than $10,000.
Hours for the “Through a Woman’s Eyes” exhibit are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some pieces may be for sale at the artist’s discretion. For more information, visit https://hmhsfeminism.wixsite.com/mysite
