The fall is a great time to start planning for Support Women Artists Now Day/SWAN Day 2018.  To get inspired for your event next March, check out these winning photos from our SWAN Day 2017 Photo Contest.

FIRST PRIZE ($500 Prize)
Photographer Jamie Bilgo Bruchman – SWAN Day Milwaukee

Jamie Bilgo Bruchman of SWAN Day Milwaukee won our $500 First Prize for this picture of Wendy Diedrich holding Flo, a swan created by Isabelle Spike entirely out of menstrual products.

SWAN Day Milwaukee featured an exhibit at Redline Milwaukee with 150 original artworks by Milwaukee women of all ages and disciplines. Each work contained a “swan” element or theme.  The opening reception featured poetry, spoken word, dance and more.  They used Isabelle Spike’s Flo as part of a campaign to raise money to distribute menstrual products to Milwaukee women in need in partnership with two community organizations, Meta House, Inc. and LSS Refugee Resettlement Aid.  You can watch Isabelle Spike’s video about Flo here.>>

SECOND PRIZE ($300 Prize) 
Photographer: Jesse Newman, SWAN Day Connecticut

Photographer Jesse Newman won our $300 Second Prize for this picture of model Jenn Marie in special SWAN Day body paint and make-up done by Kaylee Doll (pictured in the lower left), the owner of Kaylee Doll’s Extreme Makeup. This photo was taken at SWAN Day Connecticut, a festival of music and other arts which has been organized by Jennifer Hill every year for the past ten years. Doll applied the makeup live at the side of the stage during this year’s show.

Jesse Newman, a photographer, violinist, student, and professional engineer by day, has been involved in SWAN Day Connecticut for several years and says, “My favorite thing about Swan Day Connecticut is seeing artists and vendors of all ages and backgrounds coming together and sharing what they are most passionate about. There is a staggering amount of mutual respect, admiration, and networking. I believe this is why so many Swans become repeat performers or vendors.”

HONORABLE MENTION ($100 Prize)
Photographer: Empress Cessa (Celestine Ondinyo), SWAN Day Kenya

Empress Cessa ( Celestine Ondinyo) is a writer, singer, composer, and actress who has been very active in SWAN Day Kenya, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.  She sent us this great selfie with some of the other women artists from SWAN Day Kenya 2017. From left to right, the women in the picture are:  Empress Cessa, Emily Kwamboka, Rachel Mwikali, and Karambu Muthee.

SWAN Day Kenya is a celebration featuring women singers, dancers, visual artists and more.  They post videos about their events every year on YouTube.  You can watch the SWAN Day Kenya 2017 video here.>>

HONORABLE MENTION ($100 Prize)
Photographer: Julie Snyder, SWAN Day Tour of The Huntington
Led by Margaret Danielak

Margaret Danielak, the innovative owner and curator of Danielak Fine Art, organized a Feminist Tour of the Virginia Steele Scott ​Galleries of American Art at The Huntington in San Marino, CA for SWAN Day 2017.  She carefully researched each work of art by a woman that was on display at the museum, and then gave a guided tour to a group of women on SWAN Day.  At the Huntington, Danielak discussed works by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, Mary Cassatt, Louise Nevelson, Georgia O’Keeffe, Helen Frankenthaler, and others.   Painter and photographer Julie Snyder took the picture above of one of the tour members inspecting Harriet Hosmer’s sculpture, Zenobia in Chains (1859).

Danielak has organized similar SWAN Day tours at two other museums – the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.  She also offers excellent advice about collecting and selling art in the Danielak Fine Art blog>>

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OTHER PHOTOS THAT WE LOVED 

Photographer: Susan Alvarez, SWAN Day Miami

The SWAN Spoken Soul Festival 2017 was a 3-day event in Miami, Florida. At the kick-off event, Speak Your Soul, the participants were led through four interactive art exhibits that were built to stimulate dialogue among Miami’s diverse, multicultural community.

In one of the installations, the participants were asked to write their hopes and dreams for women artists on Post-it notes which were arranged as the feathers in a giant SWAN mural, which Susan Alvarez captured in the photo above.  The installations led the participants to a SWAN Call To Action area where they could learn about various local non-profit organizations.

You can watch videos about the Spoken Soul Festival/SWAN Day Miami on their website.>>

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Photographer: Sophie Dowllar, SWAN Day Kenya

SWAN Day Kenya’s long-time organizer, Sophie Dowllar, sent us this joyful photo of audience members dancing at SWAN Day Kenya 2017.  You can read our 2010 interview with Sophie Dowllar about the origins of SWAN Day Kenya here.>>

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Photographer: Jake Hill, SWAN Day Milwaukee

Photographer Jake Hill took this photo of the the amazing SWAN henna art done by Renee Bebeau at SWAN Day Milwaukee.