Submission: Between the Stripes, Under the Stars: New Exhibit at the Gallery
By Eva Ngono
Eva Ngono, Second Year, Art History & Political Science Double Major, Museum Studies Minor, Club Liaison for Justice Reads
“Between the Stripes, Under the Stars,” The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery’s most recently installed exhibition, is an inspiring assemblage of 10 artists and their perspectives living as multicultural women with intersecting identities. The show includes a diverse group of artists—many of which are immigrants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa or have been raised in multicultural households—exploring topics of identity within the context of multiculturalism, language, upbringing, gender and the legacy of colonialism.
Artists: Hend Al-Mansour, Susan Armington, Nida Bangash, Roya Farassat, Nina Ghanbarzadeh, Farida Hughes, Fawzia Khan, Ifrah Mansour, Kimberlee Joy Roth, and Helen Zughaib.
A little before 5 p.m., on the evening of the Gallery’s opening reception, the building began to slowly fill with the featured artists, accompanied by family and friends, to celebrate the exhibition of their work. Many of them, having worked together in the past, threw up open arms to welcome their fellow artists as each arrived. “Habibtis!” (or “My loves!”) they shouted out as they huddled together for a group hug; the women were reunited for another show.
The opening reception, held on Nov. 5, was a quintessential sight to see for young artists and art lovers who identify with the diverse group of women holding space in St. Kate’s Visual Art Building. Fawzia Khan, the show’s curator and an artist featured in the show, explains the meaning of the exhibition’s title, “Between the Stripes, Under the Stars,” in her curatorial statement: “The title suggests that the flag of the United States and its premise to claim space for all people under the stars of that flag. As many of the artists are immigrants, they often feel like outsiders due to differences in language, culture, religion, etc. They routinely adapt to fit into American society as needed.” Khan explains that through art, “The artists were compelled to ask the question: ‘Who is an American?’”
In answering this question, the artists created works investigating and critiquing the harmful role politics plays domestically and abroad, while others used their art to observe and celebrate diversity. Khan emphasizes that “artworks in this show are connected by a desire to highlight our common humanity and an eagerness to use art to tell the stories of contemporary American identity, in all of its complexities.”
Between the Stripes, Under the Stars opened on November 5th in the Catherine G Murphy Gallery on campus.
We must recognize that it is important and meaningful to see the creative work of multifaceted women of color in such established spaces. Typically, modern museums and galleries are dominated by work created by white male artists, who are only able to present a very narrow perspective of the world through their art. There is a power to having perspectives platformed. There is power that comes with having creative work displayed amidst white walls accompanied by an extensive brochure featuring artist statements and biographies. In order to understand why there is power in this, we must understand the context.
Past museums and galleries, initially established by Western empires to flaunt collected items and artifacts “discovered” from “other worlds,” were referred to at the time as “Cabinets of Curiosity.” These collections were used to signify—above all else—the socioeconomic status of their collectors. Collecting was done to curate an experience that tells the audience about the collector’s domination over other cultures, as well as the rest of the world. Later on, these personal collections would inspire the conceptual framework and ideology of the modern museum, while retaining the institutions' elite status. This, along with the foundational structures and assumptions of colonial forces, can be seen in museums today.
Art was present from many different backgrounds.
Because of this history, it is an exceptional achievement for multicultural women with intersecting identities to be featured and platformed in these spaces. It is imperative to be aware that these featured artists are leading successful, relevant careers in the contemporary art world where there are socioeconomic barriers to making it into these institutions. On top of this, for many—but not all– creative young women of color, these career paths are deemed inaccessible due to the societal and financial challenges that come with pursuing creative fields.
This notion is something that I have struggled with myself. Since I was little, I felt a perpetual calling to art, whether I was creating some of my own, or consuming the art of others. However, the possibility of pursuing something art-related in the future was invalidated early on in my childhood by family members who worried I would lead a life of financial suffering. It felt as if I was being buried by expectations, a feeling that lingered up until I applied to college. I was convinced that I was going to go to school for neuroscience and would pursue a lengthy career in neuropsychology, a career that aligned more with the path my immigrant parents always envisioned me walking, a pursuit in the sciences that came with financial stability in the future. Now, at college, I find myself attempting to dig up my authentic self, taking the first step by pursuing a second major in art history.
Being able to see the talented artists featured in “Between the Stripes, Under the Stars” has inspired me to believe that I can lean into what I am naturally interested in and talented at. I know that I will be successful and that my work in the future will have value and be valued. While pursuing art still feels like a risk because of all the expectations imposed upon me, in doing this, my hope is that my deep gladness will end up meeting the world’s deep need.
Likewise, Melissa Rajamanuvel, a determined and talented growing artist from India, pursuing data analytics at St. Thomas as well as a studio art major through ACTC here at St. Kate’s, describes her own personal conflict with acting on her passion for art in higher education as a multicultural woman of colour: “I am good in art; I have been doing art for 14 years since I was a child. After 12th grade, I don’t want to leave my hobby. I want to carry it as my passion.”
Studying in the U.S. was a decision she says she made to receive a more flexible education and to make room for her love for art while studying data analytics in tandem: “If I go to India and study computer engineering, I can never change my degree until I finish four years. Here, if you don’t like a course in computer science, you can change it anytime.”
This pursuit, however, was one made to offset the weight of the cultural and household expectation that she would commit to a degree in STEM. She says, “My parents know I am doing a double major, but my friends and other distant family members never knew that I am doing studio art—it’s like completely hidden. If they knew they would ask a lot of questions to my mom and dad, so it is like a whole secret. ...Parents are more into STEM. Like a doctor, or engineer—you can see in India there are a lot of engineers even though the students don’t like it. They just go because they believe they will have a good future there, but it’s not efficient for me. …The only reason why people in India don’t like other programs is because of a good future, money. … Being an artist, or becoming an artist is not that simple; there’s not a direct path.”
She goes on to describe her family’s role in her decision to double major: “The thing is like in Indian culture, we have to respect elders. Even I feel bad to do that [only pursuing a degree in studio art]. My heart doesn’t agree with that, so I say, ‘Well let’s do a double major even though it consumes a lot of my time, I can do art courses, I can take a lot of art electives and some things like that.’ But I felt like that was the only option—I have to figure out something in STEM that my parents should be happy with and shouldn’t be so difficult or so time-consuming. Data analytics compared to other engineering courses—it’s not time-consuming; I want to give more time for my art.”
Melissa demonstrates her dedication to her artwork despite the opposition she faces. She says giving up on her dreams is not an option: “I want to become a real-time artist—that’s my future goal. Right now, my career for the next 50 years, I wish to do art. If I think about working at a computer or at some company, that doesn’t suit me. People ask questions—‘Are you happy with this major?’ They might ask, ‘Why did you choose this major? You are not going to get money.’ The answer is that it gives me happiness! And that’s the end of the conversation!”
Knowing the courage it takes to pursue creative fields, as the multicultural women featured in “Between the Stripes, Under the Stars” have, makes this exhibition all the more moving. Pushing past what may be expected by society to reach dreams related to art can result in something extremely valuable, and that value can be seen within the featured artists’ work. The opening reception was truly a celebration of pushing these boundaries, with proud family members taking pictures of their artists and friends coming to support the works. ... When women of color give the world what they authentically have to offer, there is no doubt that their deep gladness will end up meeting our world’s deep needs.
