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Catalogue: Woman, The Spirit of the Universe.
Catalogue : Carolyn Johnson
Woman, the Spirit of the Universe features stunning bronze collars inspired by 23 American heroines who fought bravely and tirelessly for equality. The collars are stitched by hand using hand-worked cotton and then cast in bronze. For most of us, a collar is simply an adornment for a shirt or dress. In Carolyn Marks Johnson’s art, a collar symbolizes the struggle to establish women’s rights.
The women featured in the exhibition span generations, from Margaret Brent, who practiced de facto law in the late 1600s to two giants of Texas politics, Governor Ann Richards and Representative Barbara Jordan. Other leading women in the exhibition include Dolores Huerta, who championed labor rights; Chief Wilma Mankiller, first female chief of the Cherokee Nation; Sojourner Truth, who carried the message of abolition to every part of America she could reach; and abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman, known for freeing enslaved people through the Underground Railroad.
The most recognizable collar of the exhibition represents the late Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as Notorious RBG. Ginsburg wore different collars to express a variety of messages while sitting on the court, inspiring young girls and women of all ages to speak up for things they believe in.
In 1985, Carolyn Marks Johnson graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. After a prominent career as a lawyer, Johnson served as a senior district judge in Harris County. During her spare time, Johnson was a docent for the Heritage Society and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Johnson then decided to enroll at The Glassell School of Art and graduated with a painting degree in 2014. Today, when not sitting by assignment as a retired senior district judge, arbitrator, mediator, umpire, she studies sculpture and is actively involved in women’s rights.
The late Philip Renteria (1947-1999), a friend and sculpture teacher at The Glassell School of Art, suggested the title of the exhibit and the idea in conversation with Johnson about one of his own works. He believed that the spirit of the universe is feminine, and a woman’s spirit holds the universe together.
Catalogue : Carolyn Johnson
Woman, the Spirit of the Universe features stunning bronze collars inspired by 23 American heroines who fought bravely and tirelessly for equality. The collars are stitched by hand using hand-worked cotton and then cast in bronze. For most of us, a collar is simply an adornment for a shirt or dress. In Carolyn Marks Johnson’s art, a collar symbolizes the struggle to establish women’s rights.
The women featured in the exhibition span generations, from Margaret Brent, who practiced de facto law in the late 1600s to two giants of Texas politics, Governor Ann Richards and Representative Barbara Jordan. Other leading women in the exhibition include Dolores Huerta, who championed labor rights; Chief Wilma Mankiller, first female chief of the Cherokee Nation; Sojourner Truth, who carried the message of abolition to every part of America she could reach; and abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman, known for freeing enslaved people through the Underground Railroad.
The most recognizable collar of the exhibition represents the late Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as Notorious RBG. Ginsburg wore different collars to express a variety of messages while sitting on the court, inspiring young girls and women of all ages to speak up for things they believe in.
In 1985, Carolyn Marks Johnson graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. After a prominent career as a lawyer, Johnson served as a senior district judge in Harris County. During her spare time, Johnson was a docent for the Heritage Society and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Johnson then decided to enroll at The Glassell School of Art and graduated with a painting degree in 2014. Today, when not sitting by assignment as a retired senior district judge, arbitrator, mediator, umpire, she studies sculpture and is actively involved in women’s rights.
The late Philip Renteria (1947-1999), a friend and sculpture teacher at The Glassell School of Art, suggested the title of the exhibit and the idea in conversation with Johnson about one of his own works. He believed that the spirit of the universe is feminine, and a woman’s spirit holds the universe together.