Bold Women
Bold Women presents the visionary work of women artists from diverse backgrounds and intersecting identities who have pushed the boundaries of art and spurred social and cultural changes across generations and geographies. At the heart of the exhibition is the idea of boldness, considered as a defining attribute of the featured works and an indicator of the artists’ fearless efforts to alter institutional systems, dispute dominant historical narratives, decipher the present, and build the future. The exhibition also investigates the formal innovations and vital experimentation that pervade these works, and the ways these artists have been instrumental to the development of art alongside socio-political advocacy.
This virtual exhibition expands on the artwork and ideas presented in our Bold Women in-gallery exhibition, which runs February 18–July 6, 2025.
Portrayal / Resistance
Portrayal or portraits can be a form of resistance and a reclamation of power. The portrayals featured in this section give agency to both the artist and the subject by illuminating overlooked and forgotten narratives, denying visibility to the patriarchal and colonial gaze. The works also highlight a range of artistic, material, and inventive choices that expand our understandings of different identities.
Collective preservation / Liberation
The works in this section consider the role of women in preserving and liberating communities across generations, even in the face of ongoing violence and oppression. They reveal the power of collective work and capacities for healing.
Nature / Erasure
Works in this section explore the erasure of women and marginalized groups in conversation with land and nature. Under cover of woodland spaces or the night sky, women and girls can evade the institutions that might trap or control them. Although their access to land has at times been removed, these artists demonstrate how nature can provide a path to freedom or an escape from erasure.
Wisdom / Knowledge-keeping
The artworks in this section relate to themes of transmitting knowledge; reclaiming cultural heritage, wisdom, and ancestral connections; and showcasing how women act as connectors, risk-takers, teachers, and leaders for their communities. Often unacknowledged in these roles, women transmit understanding and also enact the boldness of survival, providing vital pathways to maintain civilization and envision freedom.
Supporters
This exhibition and related programs are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the R.C. Kemper, Jr. Charitable Trust & Foundation, the Art Dealers Association of America Foundation, Every Page Foundation, a 2024 KU Racial Equity Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity Award from the KU Office of Research, Jeff and Mary Weinberg, and Elizabeth Schultz. Additional support comes from the Spencer Museum International Artist-in-Residence Program, the Linda Inman Bailey Exhibitions Fund, KU Student Senate, and Friends of the Art Museum.
The Bold Women exhibition was co-developed by Curator Susan Earle with advisors Kimberli Gant and Wanda Nanibush, and assisted by advisors Marla A. Jackson and Rose Bryant, along with KU students Lena Mose-Vargas, Sarah Dyer, Sara Johnson, and Maggie Vaughn. This virtual exhibition was created with additional support from Elizabeth Kanost and Ryan Waggoner.