Women's Art History Celebration 2023 ~ Appreciating the Presents left to us by 45 Female Creatives (featuring an Architect, Basket Weaver, Cartoonist, Dancer, and many more with Fun Book Recommendations)

I love learning about inspiring women that have made their mark in Art History (or Herstory in this case!). This year during Women’s History month, I invite you to join me for an online celebration to appreciate the gifts these 45 female creatives left for the world. After a lot of research, I’ve done my best to feature women from various cultures, backgrounds, and areas of creativity (from Architect to Zuni jeweler!).

It was hard to narrow it down, which I see as a very good sign that more information is becoming known and available about women in the arts. I chose to skip some that are pretty well known already or that I’m aware have been featured in similar events before. Still, 45 fabulous women have been selected to highlight one each day from March 1st through April 15th, which is World Art Day. I hope this experience can inspire and encourage us while recognizing the potential and abundance of women creatives from around the world.

The idea is to learn a little about the women while making/posting something inspired by them. Typically, that might be some kind of art or creative project, yet it could be a word, phrase, photo, or even an oracle card that somehow relates to the woman of the day. If any of the prompts don’t appeal to you, feel free to take a day off or substitute another female artist you are familiar with that isn’t on the list. Alternatively, you could just select one or two from each group of 5 every few days. This can also be adapted to make great homeschool, after school, or classroom art history projects. I’ve included some fun book recommendations in the Reading Lists further down in this post.

To keep it simple and fun, I encourage participants to mix favorite bits of inspiration from multiple days and prompts (women) into a single piece until it feels finished before starting another. That way, even if you just have the time or energy to make a small doodle a day, you can still play along. I like this approach because it keeps us blending and integrating inspiration with our own preferences and style. I’ll share an example I did from a different challenge last year.

It reminds me of a crazy quilt or wrapping paper. I began by adding several circle shapes. Then, I added a few designs and colors inspired by one of the artist prompts without filling the whole page. Each day, I added more shapes, colors, or patterns to represent a few favorite bits found through another artist’s work, and then another. Hence, we get to be the curator or composer remixing the components with our own touch and tastes. It’s a great way to explore new combinations and add fresh energy to a creative practice (I shared more about the one pictured below and the influences that inspired it in an older blog series).

I also suggest that we view the prompts as only a starting point rather than a destination. If it sparks something that goes a completely unexpected direction, go with that and see where it leads!

For this year’s celebration, you may notice that all of the artists I’ve chosen have passed on. While living artists obviously have a history, they are still in the process of creating themselves. Focusing on these women instead feels like a way to make something in memory of their presence, pick up the threads in a vast web of lives, and open the gifts that they have left for the world. That last thought inspired a gift box or gift wrap theme. You could explore that if you like to use a particular motif to guide your creative project(s). Almost any design or image could be turned into gift wrap these days!

You can download a free PDF with the prompts (in black and white with no frills to use less ink if you like to print them out like I do). The PDF also has links for the fun books from the recommended reading list so you can find them that way.

Prompts-and-Books-about-Women Download

I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know some amazing female artists while also fanning your creative sparks. Here are the prompts for the fantastic 45:

You can SHARE any work in progress or finished pieces with #HerPresents2023. It’s always interesting to see what everyone creates! You might want to follow the tag for the next few months. There will also be PRIZES for participation! Winners will be randomly selected from relevant posts using the tag on Instagram (between March 1st and April 15th, 2023). I also host a group for Co-Creative artists if you prefer to share that way.

It seems that art is a form of intimacy with life, ourselves, and one another. Intimacy is a common thread running through my paintings, books, and creative adventures. Do you notice the energy in art and how it makes you feel? Do you explore and find hidden treasures long after the initial interaction?

In addition to online research, I thoroughly enjoyed the following books about some of the featured artists. I love picture books because they are quick and easy to read (especially now that my eyesight is starting to blur for the first time). Of course, I also adore the colorful illustrations! My kids are grown now, but I still browse the children’s book section at the local library. There are so many more glorious options than when I was a kid!

Reading List relevant to this post (utilizing affiliate links) shared below. I may add more if I come across them during the celebration.

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There are many more artists to discover, explore, and co-create with. So, I may host another celebration in the future. You can keep in touch via email, Instagram, and Facebook to see announcements. You might also like to read the previous blog series about female artists (all different than this year’s prompts).

You can also enjoy several downloadable free gifts, previews of my books, videos, updates, special offers, and seasonal give-aways reserved for email acquaintances from ThriveTrue.com/magicmail.

I’ve been adding more videos to my youtube channel so you can subscribe there for those. I always try to remind myself and encourage participants in my courses to play and explore and make a marvelous mess. Say Yes to the whims. That’s often where the magic and discoveries are made! May we remember to focus on the beauty and joy amidst everything else in this crazy thing called life.

If you’d like to explore the creative process in a more hands-on way with detailed guidance and video tutorials, you can join me for a fun online course. Some of them have multiple price points to make them affordable to anyone and some of them are collaborative courses with many other presenters.

Do you know any artists, teachers, or women who might appreciate this post? Please feel free to use the sharing buttons further below to pass it on. You never know what ripple effects it may have.

I hope you enjoy learning along with me in this way.

Love,
Jules

Jules Ostara is a homeschool mother, painter, poet, and survivalist turned thrivivalist. She greets a blank canvas as both a playground and a temple. Her work inspires people to grow and glow while exploring their own wisdom and wonder through the creative process. Making art helped to mend her heart after her mom died from ovarian cancer. She’s carrying on a legacy of love and zest for life. Jules is the author of “The Girl Who Dances With Delight” and “Born to Bloom Bright.” Jules also created the “Heart of Life” and “Soul Songs” inspiration card decks. She lives on a small homestead in the Blue Ridge mountains with twin boys, a guitar man, a few feisty cats, and many woodland creatures.