Feb 25, 20184 min read

Feminism Now at Shoebox Projects: An International Collaboration

Anne De Geer. Feminism Now. Shoebox Projects. Image courtesy of the artist

Feminism Now at Shoebox Projects: An International Collaboration

Opening Sunday, February 25, 3-6 pm On view through March 11

by Genie Davis Opening Sunday, February 25th and running through March 11th, “Feminism Now” at Shoebox Projects is a collaborative exhibition of three groups: The San Diego-based American Feminist Image Group (FIG), the Swedish-based Krogen Amerika and Los Angeles area artists from Shoebox Projects. The three groups, expressing the solidarity of global feminism are offering a transcultural exchange examining different elements of feminism from Southern California and Northern Europe. Artists’ works address gender equality, sexism, body image, class, race, politics, spirituality, domesticity, biology, and history in a wide collection of works.

FIG founder Anna Stump says she started the group in 2009. “It was just a few friends showing at a pop-up space. I realized San Diego didn’t have a group that supports women artists, so we became more formal, with a membership committee. We mainly do shows and support each other in our work. Our membership has gone beyond San Diego now, but most of our exhibitions have been there,” she explains. “We generally try to curate one to two big exhibitions per year.”

FIG members work across many media, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, digital media, and performance. Recent exhibitions have been held at San Diego Mesa College, Art Produce Gallery, Hyde Gallery at Grossmont College, and Art San Diego Artfair, with an upcoming exhibition scheduled at the Women’s Museum of California.

JJ L’Heureux. Feminism Now. Shoebox Projects. Image courtesy of the artist

The exhibition at Shoebox Projects came about after Stump reached out Shoebox Projects founder, Kristine Schomaker, who Stump knew to be a strong feminist.

“We had the first iteration of the exhibition in 2016, and knew we would take it to Sweden. We thought it would also be great to add L.A. artists and show it there. All the work is sized to fit into suitcases, so we can move it easily abroad.”

Krogen Amerika, which shares the exhibition with FIG is a group of Swedish printmakers that Åsa Kvissberg belongs to. Kvissberg splits her time between Sweden and California. Located in the Östergötland region of Sweden, the group works out of a red wooden house from 1704, in the center of Linköping. The space had at one time served as a meeting place for emigrants to America, thus the name Krogen Amerika. Now a printmaking studio and art gallery, 20-some artists work at and manage the space with the support from the local community. The gallery exhibits artists from all over Sweden, and has exhibited at Norrköpings Museum, Östergötlands Museum, Grafiska Sällskapet, the Palo Alto City Hall, Odense Konsthall Danmark, and Berlin Kunstfactor.

According to Stump: “We thought it would be interesting to see how feminism is pictured differently in our two countries. Since 2016, it seems feminism in the U.S. has undergone a radical shift, because of the political realities in which we are living. Our original exhibition in 2016 was before the election of our current president. We were all hoping for our first woman leader.”

Emily Blythe Jones. Feminism Now. Shoebox Projects. Image courtesy of the artist

While this exhibition will travel to Stockholm, Sweden in May 2018, FIG will have a new show in March 2018 at Southwestern College Gallery, in Chula Vista on the U.S./Mexican border. Called “Mind the Gap”, Stump says that each FIG artist picked a male artist to show with. “We are trying to reach out to our male colleagues. We’ve never done this before – trying to mend our world just a bit,” she explains.

Join the exploration and intersection of great feminist art from both sides of the global pond at the opening reception Sunday, February 25, from 3-6pm at Shoebox Projects in the Brewery Arts Complex, or make an appointment to visit the exhibition through March 11th, by contacting Shoebox Projects at shoeboxprojectsla@gmail.com.

Artists include Agneta Östlund, Amy Paul, Ann Olsen, Anna Stump, Anna Zappoli, Anne De Geer, Åsa Kvissberg, Berit Hammarbäck, Bhavna Mehta, Bibi Davidson, Caroline Färnström, Catherine Ruane, Cathy Immordino, Cecilia Uhlin, Chenhung Chen, Christina Ruthger, Cindy Zimmerman, Dani Dodge, Daphne Hill, Diane Williams, Dwora Fried, Emily Blythe Jones, Emily Wiseman, Erika Lizée, Ginger Rosser, Grace Gray-Adams, Hannah Johansen, Hasti Radpoor, Helen Redman, Irene Abraham, Isabelle Nilsson, Jane Szabo, Janice Grinsell, Jeanne Dunn, Jennifer Bennett, Jenny Treece Jorup, JJ L’Heureux, Judy Christensen, Kathi McCord, Kathleen Mitchell, Kathy Miller, Kathy Nida, Kim Niehans, Kit Aaboe, Kristine Schomaker, Lauren Carrera, Lena Möller, Lena Wiklund, Linda Litteral, Linda Rae Coughlin, Lisa Hutton, Marina Holmberg, Moya Devine, Nilly Gill, Nurit Avesar, Petrina Cooper, Pia Göransson-Lie, Prudence Horne, Randi Leirnes, Randi Matushevitz, Samantha Fields, Samuelle Richardson, Sheli Silverio, Stacie Birky-Greene, Stephanie Bedwell, Susan Amorde, Susan Osborn, Susan T. Kurland, Terri Hughes-Oelrich, Terrilynn Quick, and Yasmine Diaz.

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