Here’s to Women’s History... And Our Future

It’s still hard to succeed as a woman in the arts (and, sadly, almost everywhere else). There are fewer opportunities and more obstacles. Don’t take my word for it:

• Women working across arts professions make almost $20,000 a year less than men. (Artsy)
• A data survey of the permanent collections of 18 prominent art museums in the U.S. found that out of over 10,000 artists, 87% are male, and 85% are white. (Public Library of Science)
• As women artists age, they earn progressively less than their male artist counterparts. Women artists aged 55–64 earn only 66¢ for each $1 earned by men. (National Endowment for the Arts)

Despite these depressing stats, there is reason for hope.

Women have always been vital creators — and we’re fighting for the recognition, compensation and seats of power that belong to us. This Women’s History Month, I’m reflecting on the creative women who inspire me. There are too many to name so here are just three who I believe are making the world a better place. I hope they inspire you, too.

Bee Grandinetti is a Brazilian-born, London-based animator and illustrator who does far more than the strictly visual. When she’s not creating, she’s teaching classes, talking publicly and mentoring others. She’s also a co-founder of Panimation, an online community for women, transgender and non-binary people in the industry. While she’s worked with Snapchat and Google, she also consults newer organizations on building their motion programs. And she speaks openly and bravely about the lens one brings when immigrating to a place very different from the one you know — and about the lens through which others see you. As she said in one interview: “The path is definitely smoother for some nationalities and skin colors, no news in that.” Her work is a powerful representation of a female artist who also lives the immigrant experience. Through her lectures, teaching and community building Grandinetti is creating an environment and path for others who have been marginalized in the art world. Basically, helping artists change the world one image and Panimation connection at a time.

Roxane Gay is renowned for her own literary contributions — which include powerful novels and essays critically acclaimed by The Washington Post and The Guardian, to name a few. A reviewer in Time magazine called Gay “the gift that keeps on giving.” But Gay is as well known for her formidable voice in the promotion of other women authors. She goes beyond remarking upon (or contributing to) what is on the page, but also how those pages illuminate the dialogue at large. As an opinion writer at The New York Times, she offers a perspective both funny and unapologetic. By raising awareness of female writers’ contributions, including showcasing the unique voices of women of color and the LGBTQ community, she both encourages the individual and celebrates the collective. “[A]s a black queer woman, specificity is incredibly important, because diverse experiences are rarely seen in literature,” Gay said in an interview. By which, she seeks not to alienate but integrate: “We have a lot in common, and I do think literature allows us to have some sort of shared empathy.”

Andrea Pippins is an illustrator and an author inspired by creating what she wants to see in the world — contributing imagery and dialogue that is underrepresented. That includes a coloring book, I Love My Hair, celebrating a diverse world of hairstyles and textures. She also created a doodle book for adults that Bustle.com described as “The girl power stress-reliever we all needed.” Her work has appeared in Essence and the The New York Times. She also works with brands from Bloomberg to Lincoln Center. The sheer diversity of her reach has to be respected and should be admired. About her book We Inspire Me, Pippins said: “The people around me inspire me and have supported my dreams and I wanted to . . . share how we can all cultivate those important relationships to thrive and grow.” And by putting out in the world images and ideas that are at once unique and important, she broadens the canon of art to one that is more enriched, more diverse, and more inspiring.

I believe that we look at history in order to create a better future. In one interview, Bee Grandinetti spoke of her experience of living in different places: “I am a better person today thanks to that. It stretched my comfort zone, made me question my values and beliefs, become more flexible and accept[ing] of people’s differences, independent and capable of owning my life.” Not all of us will have the opportunity to actually live in many different places. But we can push the world toward living in a different time. We can continue to inform the world about different values and beliefs, especially those best understood by women. We can ask everyone — but, frankly, white men in particular — to become more accepting of differences by learning about the views of “others.” And in doing so women can continue to acquire the agency necessary to be truly independent and capable of owning our lives.

Let’s keep making history.