Lahoma Scarlette, NNPA Newswire Contributor
The new WOMANISH exhibit wants women everywhere to know they are the “ish” and to repeat this mantra to themselves, daily. The new, interactive art experience made its debut in the Wynwood Arts District on June 30, after its 2020 launch in Chicago amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5,000-square-foot traveling exhibit, is the mastermind of Chicago natives and Black female founders and sisters Dionna and Danyelle Gray.
The immersive exhibit is made up of 15 photo-friendly, very Instagrammable installation rooms that explore the meaning of womanhood from different perspectives and features the work of women artists from all over the world, highlighting an “ish.”
Some messages are provocative, CENSOREDISH, many will educate you, CONSUMERISH, i.e., the Pink Tax, motivate you, or bring out your inner child, CHILDISH. While visiting the different rooms, you will notice how inclusive the art is and see the term womxn used throughout. That’s part of the WOMANISH goal, to include everyone, as the spelling of womxn avoids the suggestion of sexism perceived in the sequences m-a-n and m-e-n and is inclusive of trans and nonbinary women.
I was captivated by each room I entered, and it would be hard to pinpoint my favorite ISH. SELFISH stood out because I love the way word is interpreted. Not to give too much away, because if you plan to be in the Miami area, it’s a must visit, but taking care of oneself does not make you SELFISH, many women feel guilty when they put themselves first, in fact, it makes you selfless of yourself.
The SELFISH room gives new meaning to the phrase “Do You.” The PAIDISH room also stood out, it highlights the gender pay equity gap and includes a special ode to Harriet Tubman, because, hey, we’re still waiting to see her on the $20 bill.
“This experience is a culturally-inclusive safe space that provokes imagination, conversation and change around breaking single-definition stereotypes,” stated co-founder Dionna Gray. “Womanish is more than an exhibit, it’s a pro-womxn empowerment movement. No matter how you identify, you will be able to encounter, contemplate, and connect with some components of the unique installations and curated programming we have.”
WOMANISH is currently running in Miami at 317 NW 28th Street in Winwood and in Chicago through October 31 at 114 S. State Street. Tickets start at $35. Visitors can snap their own pictures or for an additional fee rent a Polaroid camera which comes with 10 complimentary prints; to learn more, visit wearewomanish.com.
