This President's Day (February 21, 2022) we commemorate the women who not only occupied the White House, but helped shape administrations and the country. Join us for a poetry reading and art exhibition on the third floor of Madison Central Public Library (located at 201 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI). Poets include Margaret Rozga, Araceli Esparza, Anna Mueller, Katrin Talbot, Rita Mae Reese, Sasha Debevec McKenney, Wendy Vardaman, and Rachel Werner.
This event is free and open to the public.
More about the exhibition:
Arts + Literature Laboratory and Forward theater Company present the in-person exhibition 46 Artists for America’s First Ladies on the third floor of Madison Central Public Library. The exhibition features 46 new works inspired by the lives of the women who have served as America’s First Ladies and is supported by Dane Arts and the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funding from the Wisconsin Arts Board. This project is the successor to the 2012 exhibition 44 Presidents by 44+ Artists, which coincided with Forward’s production of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents.
The 46 participating artists and writers were randomly assigned one of the First Ladies in December 2020, and had 3 1/2 months to research their subject and create a new work in any medium. The only requirement was that it be 12”x12” in size with any reasonable depth. We are excited to bring together this diverse group of women artists, which includes artists of all ages from students to seniors, artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists with disabilities (though partnership with Arts for All Wisconsin and Artworking), working in a wide variety of mediums - painting, embroidery, poetry, sculpture, book arts, collage, wood, printmaking, glass, drawing, and more.