Women of the Nation, Arise!
Staten Islanders in the Fight for Women's Right to Vote
Staten Island Museum, 2020
Staten Island, New York
History exhibit commemorating the centennial of women's suffrage in the US.
Photos by Christine Cruz, courtesy Staten Island Museum
The imagery that greets visitors depicts the historic flight of Staten Island suffragist Rosalie "The General" Jones who flew over in a biplane, dropping pamphlets promoting women's suffrage.
Reproductions of the pamphlets Rosalie Jones scattered over Staten Island from a biplane.
The wall mural depicts Staten Island suffragists posing in front of the rickety biplanes they flew in and scattered their pamphlets from.
The exhibit is organized into sections: Educate, Organize, Agitate, Publicize, and Vote. Each section is marked with a banner I designed using historic photographs, colorized, cut, and collaged in a style inspired by contemporary feminist zines.
Visitors are invited to create their own pennant in the style of the classic "Votes for Women" pennant waved by suffragists. In the background is a Suffragist Personality Quiz I created as a light-hearted way for visitors to identify with different aspects of the movement.
In the center of the exhibition is a cozy spot to peruse literature about the women's suffrage movement.
Another view of the resource lounge.
The exhibit includes many historical protest objects including pennants, buttons, and a suffragist's ensemble complete with cotton dress, straw hat, leather boots, and linen duster.
A video of local women lawmakers talking about the importance of the 19th Amendment. Click link to view on YouTube.