“My underlying motive for taking on SWAN Day was a very basic human desire—I wanted to cultivate friendships and help others do the same. . . Now we are all part of each other’s history. We are all each other’s bevy of SWANs.”
-Jamie Bilgo Bruchman, organizer of SWAN Day Milwaukee
Visual Artist Jamie Bilgo Bruchman at RedLine Milwaukee
Visual artist Jamie Bilgo Bruchman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin had a desire to create community, but felt stuck with the question, “Where do I even start with that?!”
She found an answer this year by organizing the first ever Support Women Artists Now Day Milwaukee/SWAN Day MKE, a vibrant, community-wide celebration involving 167 Milwaukee women artists.
The possibilities began to open up for Bruchman when WomenArts Associate Director and longtime friend Isabelle Spike approached her with some questions: “As an artist, what do you need to do your work? What do you want from other artists, or your community?”
Bruchman says, “I had never put these questions into words, let alone action. Why HAS it been so hard to keep my art going? Why IS it so overwhelming to think about how to support it in the future? Then it made me curious—what do other women artists need? Can I give them anything—do I have anything to give? ”
As Bruchman learned more about systemic sexism in the art world and thought more deeply about the ways women artists are disenfranchised, she discovered a newfound drive to connect with and support other women artists. Bruchman says, “I was waking up to feminism in its best form— women finding ways to uplift each other.”
SWAN Day MKE Submissions
Bruchman turned her questions and desire to connect into a Call for Art for the first SWAN event in her city, a non-juried exhibition open to any female artist in the Milwaukee area.
The artists were asked to submit an original work with a swan theme (drawing inspiration from the swan’s symbolic role in nature, travel, folklore and history), and they were asked to answer three questions to be displayed with their artwork.
The questions were designed to open up discussions among the artists and help them see themselves as part of the community of women artists in Milwaukee and around the world:
- Who is your favorite woman artist and why?
- What do you need today, and what do you have to offer?
- What’s one thing that makes you feel supported as a woman artist in Milwaukee and in the world?
Unsure what the response would be, Bruchman was astounded when 79 original artworks came pouring in, by artists of all ages, from all over the city, in a wide variety of media.
“I had artists telling me stories of how this gave them an opportunity to show in the US for the first time, to heal after a spouse’s death, to give them a push to get back ‘in the game,’ to try a new medium, to meet other women dealing with the same accomplishments and struggles . . . and on and on. The power of being collectively vulnerable and strong together has a palpable energy to it. It breaks down barriers, egos, and titles, and it creates a much more nurturing environment.”
SWAN Photo Installation by Lexis Zenobia and 75 women from Milwaukee Ladies United
Social media has played a vital and interesting role in the development of SWAN Day MKE. One of the most prominent pieces in the exhibition is a large photo installation organized by Lexis Zenobia and 75 women from the Facebook group “Milwaukee Ladies United.” Zenobia photographed each woman posing creatively with a vintage swan lamp, and then compiled the photos into 3 large frames, each measuring 3’x6′. Bruchman has also set up a “selfie station” as part of the exhibit, so that visitors to the Opening Reception have a fun place to take the perfect “selfie” and share the spirit of SWAN Day with their friends.
In addition to the large photo installation, pieces were submitted by high school and college students, artists working in the community, and other members of RedLine Milwaukee, where Bruchman is an Artist in Residence. Designed to promote the creative expression of emerging and mid-career artists in various disciplines, RedLine’s two-year Artist in Residence program pairs 12 emerging artists with 6 accomplished artists, also working in residence. Artists in Residence are encouraged to organize exhibitions in the AIR Gallery, and required to perform an average of 2 hours/week of community service in addition to their artistic practice.
Artists from all over Milwaukee will celebrate the power and diversity of women’s creativity at SWAN Day MKE, an Exhibition at RedLine Milwaukee that is part of the ninth International Support Women Artists Now Day.
Come enjoy the FREE Opening Reception for SWAN Day MKE, Saturday, March 19th, 10am-12pm at RedLine Milwaukee, 1422 N. 4th St., Milwaukee, WI 53212. Read more on the SWAN Day Calendar>>