Women artists near and far have found a powerful ally in each other.

When challenged or threatened, one of humankind’s most effective responses is to form alliances – like the partner nations of NATO or workers who join a union. Below are three instances of local women artists doing just that, to project their work more powerfully into an arena that has always been, and still remains, dominated by men.

Tribe

When asked how she came to curate a women’s photography collective exhibition at the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock Abbey, England (the birthplace of British photography), Lisa Vrba starts with “So I was in my pajamas… ”

Vrba came to photography later in life without family precedent or formal schooling, but she had a lot of life to draw on. She built up a resume of exhibitions starting in 2008, until, one day in 2017 (while in pj’s), she got a call from Roger Watson, Chief Curator of the Fox Talbot.

“He [told] me the coming year would be the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK,” Vrba writes by email. “He told me he wanted to do an exhibition of American women photographers.”

And he wanted her to curate it. That show would be called Tribe.

The artist statement says the eight photographers follow the paths of foremothers like Dorothea Lange, Imogene Cunningham, Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus and Sally Mann, and that their work is unapologetically feminine, “drawn to that romantic notion of storytelling, memory, nostalgia, the natural world and family.”

After its successful showing, Brian Taylor, executive director of the Center for Photographic Art, wrote her.

“Brian writes well,” Vrba says. “It was an enchanting email.”

So it’s coming here too, along with Vrba and Tribe exhibition mates – who come from across the U.S. – Anne Berry, Heidi Kirkpatrick and Emma Powell, who will all speak.

“A dear friend of mine sent me a note not too long ago,” Vrba says. “It read ‘Find Your Tribe. Love It Hard.’ We’re going to talk about that and how it’s made a difference for us.”

TRIBE opens with an artists talk 4-5pm Saturday, Jan. 5, at Carpenter Hall, Sunset Center; and a reception 5-7pm, Saturday, Jan. 5, at Center for Photographic Art Gallery, Sunset Center, Carmel. Free. photography.org.

Women’s Art Collective

Daniela Estlin was already circulating among creative people through her boutique firm Tidewings Creative, which does curated events, photography, design, social media and marketing. That’s where she encountered local women artists who wanted a “socially safe and empowering space” to gather and talk.

So she formed the Women’s Art Collective, partnering with The Lab at the Barnyard Shopping Center, as a meeting space where “women know they can reach out and feel supported – whether this is networking, creative critique or a question about business management.”

It was not about excluding men (they can join) but its mission in the “current social climate” is about empowering women, including transgender women, in the arts. They held their first meetings last November and December, focusing on community building, art sales and finding ways to unify.

The Collective will meet every third Saturday of the month, with discussion moderated by Estlin. There’s a newsletter. In January, she plans to introduce a monthly artist mixer and movie night so it’s not all about work. Because as the saying goes, all work and no play… except in this new model it’s Jane, not Jack, who refuses to be dull.

The Women’s Art Collective meets 5-7pm Saturday, Jan. 19, at The Lab, 3728 The Barnyard, suite G-23, Carmel. Tidewingsdesign@gmail.com, thelabarts.com.

Salon Jane

To stave off the isolation of artmaking, artists often join associations or collectives, of which there are plenty locally. The six women photographers who formed Salon Jane wanted deeper levels of support, and to push the boundaries of their work, via a smaller group.

It’s named after founder Jane Olin who assembled the group in 2014, with Martha Casanave, Susan Hyde Greene, Anna Rheim, Robin V. Robinson and Robin Ward.

They consider themselves equals, though Robinson calls Olin the “spark plug.” They share honest feedback, but critique doesn’t really come into play.

“[Critique] implies a projection of the viewer’s own vision and that’s not what we’re after,” Robinson writes by email. “We strive for honest and well-intentioned feedback that will help the artist successfully manifest her vision.”

They have quarterly meetings that can last five hours and have shown work at Green Chalk Contemporary, The Independent, Monterey Museum of Art and Art Intersection in Arizona.

For 2019, they’re considering traveling the MMA exhibition, which closed last November and was titled Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone. It coincided with the museum’s Year of the Woman.

“We [are] all pushing against the boundaries of what a photograph can be,” Olin says in a statement.

That push is being multiplied by the power of their numbers.

Find out more about Salon Jane at salonjane.com.