Projects
Women of the World—A Global Collection of Art
Excerpt—POTOMAC (MD) GAZETTE
Entertainment (p. A-36) Wednesday, December 29, 2004
By Karen Schafer (Staff Writer)
…Some four years ago, she curated “Women of the World,” an exhibit that asked female artists from 177 countries to create art answering the question “What image depicts woman?” Not surprisingly, the final products were diverse. A British artist crocheted a baby’s bullet-proof vest, and a Sub-Saharan artist painted women toiling in the fields. World politics came into play when North Korea refused to loan the art object unless DeMonte paid for it, and during the Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan, the work had to be created in secret, then smuggled out of the country.
De Monte’s shift from artist to curator happened on a trip to Tibet. The feminist asked village women to make appliqués for an art project she was creating. But when DeMonte explained she needed images of if irons, coffee cups and sneakers, the Tibetans didn’t know what she was talking about. Her Western notions unhinged, she wanted to learn more about women worldwide, and thus, the “Women of the World” exhibit was born.
Even now when discussing her future, DeMonte talks of a curatorial project with a decidedly international appeal. She is collecting homemade cloth dolls from around the world that will highlight varied images of beauty….
