Worth a Thousand Words

skirt! photographer Molly Harrell's riff on Rosie the Riveter has not only made me want to check out an art show on Friday, it's also made me learn a little more about history.

Here's Molly, above, doing her Rosie pose. She and a number of other artists are participating in a show called Pretty Girls: a feminist perspective through art.  The show's opening reception is Friday, 5-10pm at the 80808 Gallery in The Vista. If you can't make that, you can see the show on Saturday or Sunday. The artists will be donating a portion of their proceeds to The Women's Shelter.

To promote the show, Molly photographed the artists in the classic "Rosie" pose. You can see them all here. It's fun--and it made me start thinking about the original poster that inspired her photos.

I really didn't know much about it. The woman who was the model for the Rosie you see on the poster--Geraldine Doyle--died at the end of last year. She had no idea until 1982 that she'd been featured on the poster. She was a cello player and only worked in a machine shop for a short while because she didn't want to injure her hands. The Rosie who inspired the song "Rosie the Riveter" was Rosalind P. Walter, a young woman from old money who worked on an assembly line during the war. She became a philanthropist and was a major supporter of The Charlie Rose Show.  Another Rosie, a woman most associated with the character on the poster, was Rose Will Monroe who worked at an airplane factory in Michigan. She went on to become an airplane pilot.

According to the Ad Council, this poster was part of the most successful recruiting campaign in American history.

As for the art show this weekend, the organizers say you can expect this:

Witness an exciting range of artistic interpretations from performance art, music, film installation, sculpture, traditional medium and…human canvas! The exhibition does not embrace a traditional definition of feminism, but showcases through diversity of ideas that the perception of a fixed feminist point of view has changed.

Find out more details on their Facebook page.

PS: I heard from the show's organizer, Olivia Thompson, after I posted this and she added a litte more information. That's Olivia's Rosie below.

This is the first art show Olivia, a student and designer, has organized. She was interning with artist Susan Lenz and asked for advice on how to get things started; Susan helped her secure the space. Then, a number of other artists were interested in the idea, and it took off from there.

Participating artists include:

Visual artists Susan Lenz, Reba Edwards, Brandon Verkaik, GraceBarnes, Amanda Ladymon, Mary Ellyse, Autumn Germroth, Laura Garner, Eli Armstrong, Rachel Borgman, Joanna Gardner, Deana Rennick, Lucas Sams, Molly Harrel, Dusti Hughes-and Olivia Thompson!

Performance/entertainment artists Zuri Wilson, Heather Parsons, and Olivia Reburn, Kirsten Faith Coleman, and Marina Druseikis.

Oh, and just for fun--here's another Rosie--this one with Lucas Sams: