About the Project
—Susan Grabel
Sculptor, Independent Curator and President of Ceres Gallery, Guest Curator
—Stefany Benson
Director of Ceres Gallery, a feminist alternative gallery in Manhattan, Guest Curator
Don’t Shut Up 2021 was conceived as a response to the silencing of women and for the need to raise women’s voices as in #MeToo #NeverthelessShePersisted #DontShutUp #TimesUp.
Through interruptions, censure, violence, and threatening behavior — both in person and online- women are silenced every day. It’s time to ensure that women’s voices are heard and valued. Rebecca Solnit writer, historian and activist says: “Having a voice is crucial. It’s not all there is to human rights, but it’s central to them… By redefining whose voice is valued, we redefine our society and its values. . .”
Don’t Shut Up 2021 presents the work of 47 woman-identifying artists from across the US and Canada who are working to challenge and disrupt the status quo through their ongoing artistic practice. This multimedia exhibition provides a platform for those voices.
With panel discussions and other public programs as well as the exhibition itself, Don’t Shut Up hopes to raise awareness, keep community conversations alive and encourage the viewer to advocate and work for women’s rights.
—Melissa West
VP of Curation, Visual and Performing Arts, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Don’t Shut Up is a declaration that women demand to be heard. Through this timely multimedia exhibition featuring artists from across the country, guest curators Susan Grabel and Stefany Benson create a platform of disruption to challenge the systemic devaluation of women and their bodies. Originally scheduled to open in the summer of 2020, this exhibition points to the legacy of women’s suffrage as we commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The ongoing fight for women’s rights endures and, in fact, feels just as urgent a century later. This historic anniversary allows us to delve into the work of 47 contemporary artists whose work advances women’s voices while examining the stark parallels to our current social climate. Through panel discussions and other public programs, Don’t Shut Up will offer New Yorkers the space to reflect on and act upon the need to advocate for women’s rights on both a local and global scale.
As the premiere space for contemporary art on Staten Island, the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor views this as an exciting opportunity to connect contemporary art to broader issues within our community. Partnerships with the Women’s Suffrage NYC Centennial Consortium and the Smithsonian Institution allow us to explore themes of women’s activism in both historical and contemporary contexts. This exhibition is a potent space to cultivate sustainable conversations on women’s rights on Staten Island and beyond. Through contemporary art, including sculpture, painting, photography, digital media and subsequent public programs, we aim to provoke visitors to think about their own contributions to a more equitable society.
In the face of COVID-19 and racial and social inequities permeating throughout the country, Don’t Shut Up prompts us to consider the role of art in social justice. We continue to look toward art and artists as powerful forces to disrupt the status quo and bring us together. Don’t Shut Up avows that the work is never done and that we must keep ascending the voices of women. When this exhibition opens in 2021, the work on display will remain a powerful testament to the contributions of women artists and their important role in redefining what a just society can look like.
Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
This project was inspired by a month of art and activism, called Don’t Shut Up, presented by FIG (Feminist Image Group) in San Diego, California in 2017.
Don’t Shut Up 2021 is made possible in part by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation. This program is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. This project is made possible in part by a DCA Art Fund grant from Staten Island Arts, with public support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Don’t Shut Up is sponsored by a Humanities New York Vision/Action Grant. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition and website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
