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Dear WOW Artist:
I am writing with some wonderful news!
Since “Women of the World” opened in 2000 at White Columns the exhibit has continued to tour internationally, attracting large audiences and receiving great press.
As you know, our original plan was to organize an auction of the works at the end of the tour to raise money for the New York Women’s Foundation to help immigrant women in need. Unfortunately, that meant that the exhibit would be taken apart and no longer exist.
The wonderful news is that an amazing and generous benefactor, Richard C. Colton Jr. saw the show in San Francisco. He was so moved by the works, the statements that the artists made, and the exhibit as an entity that he thought it a shame that the show be disassembled at the end of the tour. So in lieu of an auction, and in order to keep the show as an entity forever, he made a direct donation to the New York Women’s Foundation of $25,000 in the name of all of the Women of the World artists. This amount is more than an auction would have raised, especially in this economy and in light of how expensive auctions are to run.
Not only does this help other women, it keeps the exhibition as a whole, allowing it to travel for decades to come, making it an historic document of art by women at this time. Mr. Colton will donate the entire exhibition to the new International Museum of Women being built in San Francisco when it opens in 2008. It will be permanently housed there and thus you will be part of that museum’s collection.
Mr. Colton has agreed to let the exhibition continue to travel as appropriate venues express interest. I will remain the curator working with him. Right now we are in negotiations with the U.S. State Department and the international securities firm Merrill Lynch for their possible participation in several venues.
Here is the “Women of the World” tour schedule as it stands today;
TOUR SCHEDULE
White Columns, N.Y.C. June 9 th – July 15 th, 2000
Flint Institute, Michigan September – November 2000
Stockholm Sweden December – March 2001
University of New England, NE July 24 th – August 18 th, 2001
Tucson Museum, Arizona September 8 th – November 4th, 2001
Women’s Art Gallery, Ohio April 5th – June 7th, 2002
Museum of the Southwest, TX September 5th–October 27th, 2002
International Museum of Women, SF March 8th – May 31st, 2003
Mobile Musem, Alabama July 25th – September 28th, 2003
Brenau University, GA October 20th – December 5th, 2003
Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia January 23rd – February 2004
Akureyri Museum, Iceland March 13th – May 8th, 2004
Gerdenburg Cultural Center, Rejkavik May 15th – July 1st, 2004
Cultural Olympiad, City of Athens October 2004
New Orleans Contemporary Art Center April – June 2005 When I came up with the idea for this exhibition I never had any idea that it would have such an impact, travel for years, and most of all remain together in the collection of a museum. I am very grateful to Mr. Colton for his belief in what we have done “together” and for keeping the exhibition permanent and in a museum.
I must thank you again for participating in Women of the World.
With every best wish,
Claudia DeMonte. |
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