By: Courtney-Joy Breeden I Published: April 14, 2025
The month of March is dedicated to honoring women’s history, accomplishments, and power. Like every identity on campus, women have a place at Kean. This past spring, the Galleries at Kean has opened students’ eyes to seeing their stories in a place where many perspectives.
The Galleries introduced four exhibits this spring, all produced by women from four separate cultures, each installation overlapped with the beauty of Women’s History Month.
Lauren Rodriguez, the Managing Assistant Director of Creative Operations of the Galleries, was able to shed some insight on the intention and purpose of the Galleries at Kean and the importance of women in art.
“We believe that art serves as a powerful catalyst for social change, [and] fostering awareness of critical global issues,” she said. “Our exhibitions are thoughtfully curated to bridge the visual arts with academic discourse and community outreach, ensuring that art remains both impactful and accessible.” said Rodriguez.
The Galleries at Kean is committed to lending a voice for unspoken stories.
Although the intersection between the exhibitions and Women’s History Month wasn’t at all planned, the messages were felt all the same.
“While this overlap wasn’t intentional, it became a meaningful alignment that enriched our programming. The themes within these exhibitions naturally complemented one another making their collective presence even more impactful.” Rodriguez added.
And the impact of these stories altogether resonated with students on campus, as two student workers at the galleries, Skylar Rose Moorman and Kacia King, were able to share their thoughts on the stories being told and how empowered they felt by the messages being showcased.
“It amplifies women’s voices from different ages, backgrounds, and different levels of life and it’s imperative we listen to them and see how different people’s stories are and how their goals [are] just to be heard and be seen,” said Moorman, a junior, sociology major.
“It’s been an amazing experience to see but also an amazing experience to enter into,” said King, a fellow junior. “I think one of the best highlights from having all of the exhibits be by women is that we’re able to see all of the different ethnic and cultural backgrounds that they come from and how it shapes them in creating the art that they produce. I also think that they’re sharing light to the fact that womanhood is art in and within itself.”
Each work across the four installations works to portray the various stories of the artists or a specific societal comment.
Firstly Heather Williams’, Safe Passage in Conversation with Her Flowers, is a mixed media experience that utilizes video imagery, music and sculptures to address the challenges facing Black mothers in this world. Williams was was deeply influenced by the tragic killing of George Floyd during quarantine and references many other deaths caused by police brutality.
The next exhibit introduced was Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence, the story of Xhosa women living on a South African sugar plantation is told through intricate Czech glass beadwork, inspired by the traditional styles of KwaZulu-Natal. Founded in 1999, Bev Gibson and master beader Ntombephi Ntombela curate work from Ubuhle Beads, their collective of female beadwork artists.
There’s also the work of Kean Alumna, Barbara Minch in Fiercely Feminine, who uses paintings, sculptures and collages to spotlight what it means to be a woman.
And in collaboration with the Human Rights Institute, the Galleries at Kean also presented the works of Gen Z Chinese American artist, Weiling Pan, whose exhibition follows the story of her maturity as an artist and woman.
However, the storytelling of Fiercely Feminine sparked lots of interest in art lovers due to its style and appearance. King and Moorman both state it as their favorite.
“It speaks the most to me because she really answers the question, ‘What does it mean to be a modern woman?’” stated Moorman.
“It’s just a beautiful depiction of womanhood and also of this kind of tranquility that comes with womanhood. But also, it’s being as it says in the title, it’s being fierce. It’s being stern, but it’s also you know still having this delicate nature to it, so I really appreciate that in her art,” added King.
Through these exhibits, the Galleries at Kean has become a place of impactful storytelling and reflection on campus, dedicated to encouraging students to not just explore the art but themselves in relation to it.
“Art serves as a medium for representation, storytelling and the documentation of women’s contributions to culture, history and social change,” Rodriguez said. “Our goal is to encourage students to engage with these works, reflect on their own experiences, and find inspiration in the stories being told.”
Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate and reflect on the lives and accomplishments of past and present women. With the current events and challenges women face under the current political climate, echoing the voices of women who are determined to share their experiences is critical, a fact that does not go unnoticed at the Galleries.
“Women’s presence in art is as vital as their presence in society,” commented Rodriguez. “As a woman myself, I believe that representation is essential, not only for recognition but for creating spaces where women can express themselves freely.”
Kean is committed to uplifting every part of its student population and this Women’s History Month students can attest that they did exactly that.
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