PICTURING WOMEN INVENTORS + RHODE ISLAND WOMEN CREATE
If you had to name an inventor, would it be a woman? Like their male counterparts, women inventors represent all segments of American society, but their stories are often overlooked or undervalued. Picturing Women Inventors highlights the distinctive motivations, challenges, and accomplishments of nineteen exceptional 20th- and 21st-century American women who are diverse both personally and professionally. Astronauts, computer pioneers, and businesswomen join athletes, engineers, and even teenagers in this remarkable group of inventors [...] This exhibition illustrates the creativity of women inventors while inspiring young people (especially girls) to see themselves as future inventors.
—Smithsonian Institution
Also on display within Picturing Women Inventors is the Museum of Work & Culture’s exhibit Rhode Island Women Create. Drawn from the Rhode Island Historical Society collections and other archives, Rhode Island Women Create complements Picturing Women Inventors’ celebration of innovators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, highlighting the histories of local women who were trailblazers in creative and artistic areas.
Betsey Metcalf Baker, originally hailing from Providence, created a new method of making straw bonnets as a teenager. Christiana Carteaux Bannister, born in North Kingstown, was an abolitionist, activist, and entrepreneur in the field of women’s hair care. Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf was a co-founder and the first director of Providence’s Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Pawtucket-based Martha Jenks Chase developed a new design for toy dolls that reflected changing ideas of the roles of women in society. Opera star Matilda “Sissieretta” Jones, who grew up in Providence, was the first female African American singer to headline at Carnegie Hall and performed at Madison Square Garden and the White House. Rhode Island Women Create honors these women and their creative work in changing the world.
The labels for Rhode Island Women Create can be viewed here.
Programs for this exhibition included:
- "Art and Labor for Lunch," held on September 22nd, 2021, at 12pm. Moderated by Brad Fesmire, Artistic Director of Riverzedge Arts, and featuring six working artists from across the state, this panel engaged in conversations about creative labor, artistic journeys, and the role of art in civic engagement and community building. Panelists included Silvermoon Mars LaRose of Exeter’s Tomaquag Museum, Tim Ferland of Providence’s Steel Yard, Carley Ferrara of Providence’s Iron Mountain Forge, Lydia Pérez of Warwick’s Puerto Rican Institute of Arts and Advocacy, Taylor Jackson of Providence’s ¡CityArts! For Youth, and Sue Bohorquez of the RI Department of State.
- "Wiki Edit-a-Thon Study Break," held on November 14, 2021, from 12-3pm. Participants wrote and edited content for the Wikipedia pages of Betsey Metcalf Baker, Christiana Carteaux Bannister, Martha Jenks Chase, Sissieretta Jones, and Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, and changes were tracked in a wiki edu project dashboard.
Press:
LiAnna Davis, "How this newbie brought Anne Burlak’s article to Good Article status," Wiki Edu, December 16, 2021. (Not directly related to the show, but mentions the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon program I hosted.)
Joseph B. Nadeau, "Museum of Work and Culture marks Labor Day with new exhibit," Woonsocket Call, September 4, 2021. Images of print edition.
Lauren Clem, "MOWC Labor Day programming to showcase local artists, inventors," The Valley Breeze, September 1, 2021.
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