BY KHAELLE HARRIS
The opening reception for the “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” exhibition held Sept. 24 brought conversation about women’s rights, gender inequality and discrimination to SUNY Plattsburgh’s Burke Gallery.
The exhibition features 48 works of art from a larger collection of 133, hosted by Museum Director Tonya Cribb.
Cribb said the exhibition was selected because of its connections to academic work across campus. The curator of the traveling exhibition contacted Cribb about three years ago. After reviewing the collection, Cribb said she saw the opportunity to connect it with broader ideas and multiple areas of study.
“I try to host exhibits that support academic work happening here on campus,” Cribb said.
Cribb said she reached out to the Gender and Women Studies department after reviewing the exhibition. She said the collection’s international focus was another reason she felt it could contribute to conversations among students and faculty.
For Nick D’Amico, a senior who attended the exhibition with his photography class, the international perspective stood out.
“A big part for me is seeing women from around the world and their views on the same issue and how they handle it,” D’Amico said.
D’Amico said he came to the exhibition as part of his photography class and saw it as an opportunity to experience the artwork while always learning about the inequalities represented
PRODiG+ Fellow Brian Lindgren stopped by after hearing of the exhibition. He said one of the posters he viewed focused on the importance of education for women.
Lindgren said art can expose students to ideas and perspectives they may not encounter in their everyday lives. He said art is an impactful way of sharing ideas, culture and new ways of thinking.
Kelly Theisen, assistant professor of biochemistry, said she attended because she was interested in the exhibition’s focus on women’s rights and encouraged her students to visit.
“I think it’s good to see different perspectives and different things people around the world are fighting for,” Theisen said.
The exhibition covers a range of subjects, including women’s history, voting rights, reproductive rights, violence against women as well as the lack of representation in fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Cribb said some of the posters were created decades ago, but continue to connect with issues being discussed today. She pointed to a 1997 poster created for International Women’s Day that focuses on Palestinian women and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as one example.
The exhibition also encourages visitors to consider the history of women’s rights such as the struggles surrounding voting rights and people who advocated for rights.
Cribb said she hopes the exhibition gives students a chance to encounter and explore difficult subjects and discuss them in an academic setting.
“Sometimes you’re presented with challenging material, but you have a safe place to kind of explore those ideas,” Cribb said.
The exhibition is on display in Burke Gallery, on the second floor of the Myers Fine Arts Building, through Dec.4.
