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Suzanne Benton
Benton, Spirit of Hope (Alice Paul) monoprint with Chine collé, PioneerActivist

2019

About the Item

Pioneer Activists is an ongoing series of artworks by Suzanne Benton. Consisting largely of monoprints with Chine collé where the artist references suffragists, feminists, writers and educators from the 19th century and beyond. These works embody the artist’s stellar theme of bringing past to present. The Spirit of Hope (Alice Paul) One of the prime dedicated vocal leaders of the women’s suffrage movement in the twentieth century, Alice Paul actively campaigned for the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution that granted women the right to vote and helped secure passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Additonally, Paul next authored the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923. Efforts to pass the ERA continue to this day. Virginia became the 38th State to pass the Amendment in January 2021. Many legal battles seeking to block the passage still await decisions by the courts. In preparation for this ongoing series the artist received images from Legacy Magazine’s photo archive of 19th Century women writers, understanding that she’d obtain permission from each source to use the photos in her artworks. Permissions were received and she began the series in 1992. The Harvard/Radcliffe Schlesinger library then offered Suzanne access to relevant microfiche images that were employed in subsequent works. In addition, the library exhibited the in 1992. The collector Vivien Leone purchased and donated one to the library, and the library subsequently purchased two more. The Women’s Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY, exhibited the growing series in 1995 during the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage. The Oberlin College Library offered their photo archive of early women attendees and graduates that also including African American women. The artist exhibited 19th Century Women at Oberlin College, a collaboration between Oberlin College and FAVA Art Center in 1996. Oberlin subsequently purchased the more than 20 works they keep on rotating display throughout college buildings. In 2018, the Oberlin College library, changed its name to the Mary Church Terrell Library, and Suzanne received a commission to create a large monoprint using photos of this pioneer African American Civil Rights activist. An exhibit of the library’s holdings of Suzanne’s monoprints were exhibited at the official re- naming ceremony. Most of the artworks in this series have been acquired. The Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY; the Radcliffe/Harvard Schlesinger Library, Cambridge, MA; Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; Central Connecticut College, New Britain, CT; and the Ridgebury Congregational Church, Ridgefield, CT keep the works on permanent display. Others from the series are owned by the Allyn Museum, Oberlin, OH; St Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg, FL; Lyman Allen Museum, New London, CT; and the Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT. Suzanne Benton is a native New Yorker who has shared her many-faceted art for over 60 years and in 32 countries. Exhibiting widely (150+ solo shows and representation in museums, and private collections worldwide), she’s a highly recognized metal mask maker and mask performance artist, printmaker, painter, lecturer, and workshop leader. A trans-culturalist and feminist pioneer based in the States, her venues have stretched from New York City to villages in remote parts of Africa, India, and Nepal, and to philosophy and education portals from Calcutta to Cambridge. A former Fulbright Scholar (India), she’s received many grants and artist residencies, including numerous hostings by the cultural arm of US Embassies. Her unique artwork has carried her worldwide since 1976, sharing her work in Bali, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, Hong Kong, Denmark, Egypt, England, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Yugoslavia. Author of The Art of Welded Sculpture and various articles, Suzanne is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Art, and Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975, Edited by Barbara Love, 2006.
  • Creator:
    Suzanne Benton (American)
  • Creation Year:
    2019
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    Ed 3, 40 x 60 inches archival pigment print/ inches Price: $5,400
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    For Benton's Pioneer Activists and Oberlin College series, we are offering a limited edition large scale archival pigment print of the women who created the foundation for Equal Rights in our country. Please contact the gallery to commission.
  • Gallery Location:
    Darien, CT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU17227679432
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