Haddonfield Memorial High School’s 50/50 Club will host its sixth annual art show – “Through a Woman’s Eyes” – on Saturday, March 2, at the Haddon Fortnightly.
The show will emphasize modern women and is open for all females and women-identifying artists to submit unlimited pieces in any medium. As in the past, the proceeds will be donated to charity.
Six modern women will be highlighted and awarded prizes this year, including Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO and creator of Lean In, a group focused on women’s empowerment; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer best known for her work, “We Should All Be Feminists”; film director Greta Gerwig, most known for the blockbuster “Barbie”; Julieta Martinez, a 20-year-old Chilean climate activist; Phoebe Schecter, Britain’s first female NFL coach; and Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement.
Alex Himmel, senior at the high school and president of the 50/50 Club, explained that the women were chosen because they represent a variety of fields and have uplifted other modern women.
“The theme is something we recommend that the artists use if they’re able to,” said club advisor Margaret Gammie. “We have as one of our prizes a best use of theme prize, so really, we’re just looking to highlight local women artists. We’ll take any art, even if they don’t think it fits that modern womanhood theme.
“But it just opens up that additional prize for them if they have something that expresses the modern experience of being a woman, whether that’s family or career or school or anywhere it might affect their lives.”
Artists can submit unlimited pieces. Past art forms included digital, 2D, sculptures and even textile works.
Himmel has been part of the club for three years and has served as president for the last two. For her, the show has been an integral part of the high-school experience. But its impact has extended beyond her own experiences, including being recognized by Ashoka Changemakers, an organization that proposes people take action to solve social problems in the community.
Himmel also noted that other groups had reached out to the 50/50 Club to start their own ‘Through a Woman’s Eye” art show.
“Being the president for the past two years and leading the show has showed me much about teamwork, working with other women, delegating tasks,” she explained. “And, in terms of what we talk about with our actual meetings, we meet with students, Ms. Gammie and with women at Haddon Fortnightly. Something we learned from that is that intergenerational exchange has been really important for me to see.
“Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up with what younger women are saying or just what older (women) have to contribute to the conversation,” Himmel added, “but having the diverse range of views, I feel like we put on the best show, because we have so many people and so many perspectives there to do that.”
Exhibit hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists interested in registering can do so at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed43s4DyC1TeBResf-Fk8m0fsJ5Ef0E3zMyj_8Jjj1jmHi1Q/viewform.
To learn more about the “Through a Woman’s Eyes” exhibit, visit https://www.changex.org/ie/through-a-womans-eyes.
This article was updated on Feb. 5 to clarify that artists can submit unlimited pieces.
