Art students as well as confirmed artists contributed to Lasting Legacies, the new exhibition at Blockfort. Credit: Courtesy of Panagiota Kourniotis.
The Blockfort Gallery presents “Lasting Legacies,” an exhibition shining a spotlight on female historical figures ranging from Celtic leader Boudica to Michelle Obama.
On display until April 3, “Lasting Legacies” is part of the celebration of Women’s History Month at Blockfort, located at 162 N. Sixth St. The contributing artists — all women — were each asked to portray a historical female figure whose art spoke to them.
“We have a wide range of women historical figures from Viking times up until today that are still living,” Panagiota Kourniotis, a third-year in illustration at the Columbus College of Art & Design and curator of the show, said.
Kourniotis said she selected contributors out of fellow classmates and Columbus-based artists whose work she admired with help from Adam Brouillette, the co-owner of the gallery.
Kourniotis included one of her own works in the show –– a piece made of traditional inking, colored digitally afterwards. It is a portrait of Anyte of Tegea, a Hellenistic poet from the third century B.C., who is often referred to as the “female Homer.”
Kourniotis said most of Anyte of Tegea’s work revolved around epitaphs — inscriptions on monuments and graves — which were common at the time in ancient pet cemeteries.
“My piece was a portrait of her surrounded by animals and by different plants that symbolize death because that was what her whole body of work was about,” Kourniotis said.
Melodie Thompson, an artist featured in the gallery, makes art in a multitude of ways. From working as a fine artist focused on the American landscape and cityscape to painting murals in home and commercial spaces, Thompson mainly paints portraits now, as seen in her contribution to “Lasting Legacies.”
When Thompson was brainstorming influential women, she said Rita Dove immediately came to mind. Dove made history as the first African American to become poet laureate of the United States from 1993-95. Thompson said she included one of her poems in the title of the painting, “Crown Her With Sky.”
Thompson said a discussion she had with a friend convinced her to portray an influential Black woman in her work.
“As a human, there are so many people that are different and not portrayed out in society, especially in art,” Thompson said. “And so that’s part of the reason why I did someone of color versus someone who is white.”
Thompson said she was thrilled to dive into the group of women who participated in the show and discover budding artists.
Regarding women’s rights, Thompson said issues such as income inequality have been fought against throughout the ages and are still very hard to overcome. Despite the challenges, she said she remains confident and that small gestures and everyday actions such as listening to people and branching out of one’s comfort zone really makes a difference.
“I’m trying to speak in a way and show things that people may not see in society, because I really think that’s the job of the artist: to show the world a whole different way of looking at things,” Thompson said.
To view the gallery in person, guests can email [email protected] to schedule an appointment, but additional viewing hours may be posted on social media, according to the gallery’s Facebook page. No more than six people are permitted in the gallery and masks are required. The gallery will also be producing documentary pieces to introduce the pieces to the public.
