On August 26, 1920, women were given the right to vote in the United States with the certification of the 19th Amendment. The launch of the Women Soaring Project (WSP) this fall 2020 fortuitously coincides with the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. It is with great honor that the WSP is able to celebrate this incredible achievement in women's history highlighting exceptional artworks with its inaugural exhibit, Women Suffragists.
The panel of jurors for this show was comprised of the WSP co-founders and advisory board members including Jane Le Skaife, Jackie Lo, Megan Seely, Leah Cluff, Jennifer Lugris, Grace Gray-Adams, Jenifer Vernon and Lesley Doig. While we received 48 submissions from artists all around the world, we voted on the top three pieces that displayed the strongest content and execution in addressing the theme of women's suffrage. We are pleased to announce these winning works are:
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First place - Artist Summer Herrera, Dorothy, A Young Activist, 2020
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Second place - Artist Ildiko Nova, Fair Representation, 2020
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Third place - Artist Angela (Azadeh) Raz, Healing, 2020
Please join us in congratulating these artists, and thank you to all those who participated. To see these works and more, please enter our virtual gallery below.
WOMEN
SOARING
An interactive arts and culture project seeking to see, know, and appreciate women in history
Who is Mabel Ping-Hua Lee?
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee immigrated with her family during the Chinese Exclusion Act, which made exceptions for missionaries like Lee’s father. The act limited Chinese immigration and citizenship. As an outspoken feminist, Lee began writing and speaking publicly about women’s suffrage while still a teenager. In 1912, she led a women’s suffrage parade on horseback in New York City. She later wrote “The Meaning of Woman Suffrage” in The Chinese Student Monthly and led Chinese American women in the New York suffrage parade in 1917. She is also the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University earning a Doctorate in Economics. Lee continued to fight for women’s suffrage even though she, herself, would not be able to vote until the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943.