She Votes
Illustration By:
Lorris Lora
“I’m more art historian than, ahem, capital “H” Historian? What I am mostly is a storyteller. And what I believe more than anything is that the stories of history need to be told.”
– Bridget Quinn
Live Interview:
On IG Live
Date:
August 13th, 2020
Time:
7:00PM EST
When I began to realize my complete lack of education around women artists, I initially thought it was my fault. Maybe I just hadn’t read the right books or paid enough attention in the past. Planning to rectify the situation, I went directly to the bookstore of my favorite museum, feeling certain I would leave with bags full of amazing books. The only problem was that once I arrived, I realized that the only book in the entire store about a female artist was a children’s book about Frida Kahlo. Tucked away on the very top shelf, I would never have even found it had I not been on a mission.
Perhaps this was a problem that reached much farther than I had anticipated.
illustration by:
Stephanie Kubo
The next few months were devoted to finding those missing books and the often erased women from the stories we all learned about art. Yet, as passionate about the topic as I was becoming, I found my eyes inevitably glazed over after a couple chapters. While I loved the work of the artists written about, I struggled to connect with the writing and to feel as though I actually knew the artists’ stories.
Then, a red and white book arrived in the mail one day titled Broad Strokes—15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order). From page one, I was absolutely captivated by Bridget Quinn’s ability to make the artists and works she wrote of come to life. By page five, I knew she had to come lecture at the North Carolina Museum of Art for the Matrons of the Arts.
Thus began my search for her, which in actuality probably looked a bit more fanatical fan than serious art lover, as I called ahead to bookstores she was scheduled to speak at and asked that they give her the message to call me. Thinking I was probably a bit crazy (perhaps I was but I was just so thrilled to have found Broad Strokes), I doubt any of my messages reached Bridget. But at some point we did connect via Facebook, and she agreed to come. The day she lectured, my heart was so full as all the seats in the auditorium were taken and an overflow room had to be opened. Others longed as I did to hear these stories, to know a broader truth about art—and Bridget delivered.
Illustration By:
Marie Coons
Now, Bridget has done it again with her new book. Clever and relatable, honest and enticing, She Votes: How Women Won Sufferage, and What Happened Next weaves together the story of women who fought for their freedom and their voice. For, as Bridget points out, “the right to vote means having a voice, using it, and making it heard.” On the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, it seems only fitting that Bridget would have chosen 100 female artists to illustrate the women who made it possible.
I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Bridget on Instagram Live Thursday, August 13th at 7 p.m. While I confess I have never done a live interview and feel quite nervous, Bridget is fabulous and will no doubt carry us both if necessary. :) I so hope you will join us as we discuss her writing, love of art, and commitment to sharing the stories of women.
