The WOWF Story
This unusual collection of women's art from around the world was first shown by our curator, Claudia DeMonte, in June 2000 at White Columns, New York. Since then, Women of the World has been shown at 19 different venues. Under the original funding agreement the exhibit was to be disbursed by auction in 2003, with the proceeds going to the New York Women's Foundation.
After viewing the collection, I felt it would be a tragedy to undo what Claudia and the other women artists from 176 different countries had created. I was able to purchase the exhibit in totality in September 2003 and have kept it together since for others to experience and appreciate.
Since then, the project has taken on a life of its own, and its growth has been no less than amazing. Through a contract with Merrill Lynch, in December 2004 the collection gained six new venues.
Both Women of the World and Merrill Lynch saw the opportunity to introduce the exhibit into the corporate landscape. This move helped Merrill Lynch, as a corporation; connect in new ways with its current women clients and prospective clients. It is exciting to experience art becoming a catalyst and bridge between people and business.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we almost lost the collection while it was being stored in a New Orleans warehouse. Fortunately, on September 15, 2005, 17 days after Katrina struck, the artwork was rescued for the second time with the help of some very determined friends and a couple of Louisiana state troopers.
The exhibit is supported by the Women of the World Foundation, which was started in November 2003. Donations to this organization have been used to support our curator and to maintain and repair the exhibit. In the future we hope the Foundation will expand its role to assist deserving young women artists.
I no longer see the collection as just an art exhibit. I see it as a multi-cultural expression that invokes emotions like hope, joy and despair. And I see it also as an acknowledgment and tribute to women's challenges around the world. Two of our artists have written to me and I wish to share parts of their letters with you. Even taken out of context, they reflect many of my own feelings.
"It is a statement, a statement of connectedness and peace," wrote Nabila Hilmi of Palestine. "Culture ... art is a main item nowadays to combat fundamentalisms and intolerances of many sorts," wrote Anna Bella Geiger of Brazil.
We have many people to thank for making this event possible. First, Claudia DeMonte for putting the collection together while at the University of Maryland. She completed the nearly impossible task of finding 176 women artists from separate countries, some well-known and several not so well-known, and assembling their individual works into this extraordinary collection. Secondly, to our corporate partners at Merrill Lynch. Their support has been most gratifying and appreciated. Lastly, to my staff at home who have spent many hours formulating the Foundation and streamlining the administrative portion of the exhibit.
— Richard C. Colton, Jr. |
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