New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
The Story of Women art exhibit opens
MILFORD — The watercolor and charcoal drawing portrays a scene from another century, but the message speaks powerfully to the modern era.
The work is titled Ready to Vote and was created by Milford artist Vilma Oritiz-Dillon for the Milford Arts Council’s 2020 The Story of Women exhibit. It depicts women
100 years ago standing in line to vote. The women are wearing clothing that was fashionable during that time, such as a large white hat tied under the chin.
“For me, it was the topic and the time period and the fact that 100 years later, the story of this spoke to me in the era that we are in right now,” MAC Marketing Director
Lorie Lewis said. “I am looking at these women from 100 years ago wanting the right to vote and seeing where we are now and where we are headed.”
Women of the past, present and future, drawn in about a dozen different mediums, are portrayed in the exhibit, which will be on display through Nov. 19. The exhibit contains about 90 works or art, most of which are for sale with proceeds supporting the council. All are viewable online at milfordarts.org. The exhibit is also open for limited in-person viewing at the MAC, 40 Railroad Ave. South.
The exhibit is free although donations are accepted.
For the exhibit, artists were asked to create a piece that showed the many ways women express themselves. The works feature women in multiple roles they serve in society such as teacher, sister, mother, nurturer, and innovator. Aside from capturing the theme, the rest of the piece of art was left up to the artists’ imagination.
Clothing plays a large role in some, while in others, the women are nude. Women are drawn alone, or surrounded by many other women. Color, light and shading play large factors in the works also. Mediums include acrylic, photography, wax, watercolor and ink. There are also maker, textile, oil and charcoal pieces.
Each piece has a name, sending out its own, unique message such as United we Stand, The Great