Rochester-based
artist Sarah Rutherford is in the midst of a new series of murals that
spotlight local women who work to lift up the voices of others. When the
project, titled “Her Voice Carries,” is complete later this year, a mural will
adorn a wall in each quadrant of the city, plus a fifth in Center City.
Rutherford is currently painting a mural inside the Memorial Art Gallery that
features each of her five subjects as well as a map with locations of the other
murals and their projected dates of completion.
The
roots of this project are in another wall painting Rutherford completed about
two years ago in the tunnels that connect various buildings at the University
of Rochester. The painting depicts both younger and older versions of
suffragist Susan B. Anthony, and includes the school’s flower, a blooming
dandelion, with its seeds floating toward a modern young woman.
Anthony
was integral in raising the $50,000 required by the University of Rochester
before the trustees would admit women — in addition to fundraising efforts, she
pledged her life insurance policy at the 11th hour to close the $8,000 funding
gap.
“I
knew that was one of her last acts before she died,” Rutherford says. “So I
knew it had relevance, but I wanted it to have relevance to women walking the
halls today. I kept thinking about that — I keep wanting to think about the way
that it could plant seeds for the greater community. I think about the
vibration of Susan B. Anthony and everything that happened here, but I want to
think about it in terms of what’s happening now.”
Rutherford
says she spent the next two years planning and looking for five subjects to
feature in a series of murals that would emphasize the commonalities of our
human experience through the leadership of empowered women.
“I
was also looking to understand our city in a deeper way,” she says. “I’ve been
here for 10 years and I feel like I still don’t know our city, so that was part
of this project for me. After a couple years of mural work and working in a lot
of different communities, I felt a lot of disconnection between neighborhoods
and spaces within our city, and so I was hoping to think about this as a
collective story, but laced with individual truths. Something that would set
people off on a journey through the city, to experience it in a different way.”
While
only five women were chosen for the murals, Rutherford says she plans to tell
the stories of all of the inspiring women she met during her research on the project’s blog, hervoicecarries.blog.
Rutherford
also acquired funding through the city to hire two youth artist apprentices, Charisse
Warnick and Maribel Hernandez (both of whom have worked with Rutherford on
mural projects in the past), and a project assistant, Elizabeth Lenz who is
helping with admin work.
The
first mural, featuring poet and activist Rachel McKibbens, was completed
earlier this month on a wall at the University Avenue Planned Parenthood. The
piece is a
portrait of McKibbens in Rutherford’s dreamy, illustrative style,
accompanied by an affirmation written by McKibbens and a pink door, alluding to
the name of the writing retreat for women of color that McKibbens founded.
Rutherford
was a patient, she says, at this Planned Parenthood location for the five years
she was uninsured, and that this is a way to give back.
“When
you’re walking through that space as a patient, with the gauntlet of protestors
telling you you’re going to hell … I wanted this visual imagery to be stronger,
louder, bigger, more powerful than the signs they’re holding,” she says.
Rutherford
anticipates completing the installation at the MAG (located in the Hurlbut
Gallery) by the second week in July, and says it will remain up for about a
year. Each of the remaining murals will take about a month to complete.
The
following bios of the featured women and corresponding locations of the murals
were provided by Rutherford.
Rachel
McKibbens
Northwest
Quadrant
Rachel
is a poet, activist, and mother of five. Rachel also teaches poetry and
creative writing while giving lectures across the country as an advocate for
mental health awareness, gender equality, and victims of domestic abuse and
violence. She is a member of Latinas Unidas and co-curates Poetry
and Pie Night, a monthly reading series, right here in Rochester. In 2012,
McKibbens founded The Pink Door Writing Retreat, an annual retreat open
exclusively to women of color.
Safi
Osman
Southwest
Quadrant
Originally
from Somalia, Safi has lived in the United States for 20 years. Known as “Momma
Safi,” she teaches sewing skills, serves as an emergency translator, and
provides transport to refugees in need through Refugees Helping Refugees, an organization
for which she is a founding member. Safi is one of the first people refugees
call upon for help, day or night.
KaeLyn
Rich
Southeast
Quadrant
KaeLyn
Rich is a queer feminist, a direct action organizer, a nonprofit lifer, a
writer, and a sexuality educator. She is currently the Assistant Advocacy
Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. KaeLyn is also staff writer for
“Autostraddle” and
the co-founder and editor of “Queer Family Matters.”
Imani
Olear
Center
City
Called
“Joy” by her mother, Imani radiates love and empathy to everyone she encounters
through both her work as Pastor of Reformation Church and her yoga teachings.
Founder of “Yoga for a Good
Hood,” Imani strives to bring yoga and meditation to those for whom it may
otherwise not be accessible.
Trelawney
McCoy
Northeast
Quadrant
Trelawney
is the adoptive, foster, and biological mother to 9 children. She works
fulltime as a project counselor at the University of Rochester, supporting
young mothers as they navigate towards independence. She also volunteers her
time as President of the Rochester Rams Football Club and Executive Vice President
of Western NY Pop Warner. She is committed to the belief that every child
deserves love and has dedicated her life to this mission, both within her own
home and her work.
Follow the progress of the project at hervoicecarries.blog and on Instagram @hervoicecarries.
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This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2017.
